You may have heard about the growing concern over the fate of the elephants in Africa. The Ivory trade, which is responsible for their decline, has come under fire from environmentalists and concerned people worldwide. The world trade in Ivory will soon be closed entirely.

It has never been the intention of my company to promote the slaughter of elephants for their tusks. Out of respect for the beauty of the material, i.e. ivory, I have attempted to recycle antique piano keys which would otherwise be discarded forever. Then the source of piano keys - junked pianos - dries up, I will be designing things in other materials. Elk and Deer antlers, which are used in the buckles and necklaces, are shed by their owners annually, causing no harm to the animals.

It is very important that all of my customers understand my position on this issue. I will never provide an item constructed from new ivory.

People often ask what inspired me to make jewelry from piano keys, and, what other artistic endeavors have I pursued. The following is an attempt to answer these questions and to give a little personal background to my interested customers.

I am in my mid fifties and have spent my adult life as a self-taught artist in several mediums.

In the early 70's I developed a type of inlay where I set semi-precious stones, silver, and ivory into bone and hardwood. I created many one-of-a-kind items such as wall plaques, belt buckles and necklaces depicting landscapes, animals and abstract designs.

Then in the mid-80's, I enrolled at the San Francisco Art Institute to broaden my horizons. There, I worked in oils and made sculptures of welded steel; but it was through my charcoal drawing that I developed a fascination with black and white.

On Christmas Eve of 1985, I returned to my home state of Massachusetts to visit my brother and his family. My brother earns a living repairing, restoring and tuning pianos. As a gift for his son, he made a wooden toy truck out of recycled piano parts. In the evening, I played with this wonderful truck, my brother taking note of my interest.

The next day, as my family opened my gifts of personal paintings and drawings, my brother handed me a gift from 'Santa". What I found inside was a tiny model of my pick-up truck, once again, made out of piano parts, and carefully tied onto the trucks bed was a load of ebony and ivory piano keys.

Back home, I pondered how to use the piano keys and the idea came to me to make with them jewelry that retained their original character as closely as possible.

My first design was for a bola tie (Not pictured in this presentation) followed by a simple pair of earrings (#10), inspired by the solo concerts of Keith Jarrett. From these beginnings, the rest of the designs have flowed forth.

The materials used in my jewelry, being 'found objects', have variations in color and signs of wear the demonstrate their age and character. I feel that my pieces retain some of the musical qualities captured in their ivory, I give these keys new life once old pianos go past the point of repair.

All pieces in the piano series are designed and built by me.

As my father used to often say "Always keep a song in your heart."

Sincerely,

Jay Jackson

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