The Strand & the Stone – a leather collection for bead makers and crystal keepers

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of leather stamping studies.

Volume I-B · Commercial-Fit Independent Study

A September study.

The Strand & the Stone – a small collection for people who string beads and keep crystals. Five designs about how small treasures are chosen and kept.

First, the strand. We drew a necklace as one running row of beads and let a single faceted stone interrupt it – ONE IN EVERY STRAND, because the strand worth keeping always has the one bead that decided the whole piece. It runs lengthwise along the luggage tags, in dusty lavender and in navy.

The black-and-white One in Every Strand stamp plate from The Strand and the Stone leather collection for bead makers and crystal keepers.

The black tag carries the design in gold.

A black leather luggage tag with the gold One in Every Strand design from The Strand and the Stone collection.

A lilac leather luggage tag blind stamped with the One in Every Strand design from The Strand and the Stone collection.

A blueberry leather luggage tag blind stamped with the One in Every Strand design from The Strand and the Stone collection.

Next, something to carry. We stood a quartz point over the words CARRY A LITTLE EARTH – a crystal in the pocket is exactly that, a small piece of the planet traveling wherever the keys go.

The black-and-white Carry a Little Earth crystal stamp plate from The Strand and the Stone leather collection.

On the black fob the point is pressed in gold; the pale sea-blue fob takes it blind. Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A black leather keychain with the gold Carry a Little Earth crystal design from The Strand and the Stone collection.

A turquoise leather keychain blind stamped with the Carry a Little Earth crystal design from The Strand and the Stone collection.

Then, the journal. On the thread beside the needle, four beads wait open and the first one sits already solid – IT STARTS WITH ONE BEAD. Every necklace begins that way, and so does every page of plans. The stamp sits in the lower right corner, on deep wine and on deep green.

The black-and-white It Starts with One Bead stamp plate from The Strand and the Stone leather collection.

A sangria leather journal blind stamped with the It Starts with One Bead design from The Strand and the Stone collection.

A forest-green leather journal blind stamped with the It Starts with One Bead design from The Strand and the Stone collection.

Then the catchall tray, where we drew a necklace exactly as it lands at day's end – laid down in a loose circle, clasp left open – with UNTIL TOMORROW resting inside the loop. The tray is where the rings and the stones sleep. It looks genuinely beautiful.

The black-and-white Until Tomorrow necklace stamp plate from The Strand and the Stone leather collection.

An Arizona leather catchall tray blind stamped with the Until Tomorrow necklace design from The Strand and the Stone collection.

And finally, GOOD FINDINGS for the toiletry bag. In the jewelry trade a finding is the clasp or jump ring that finishes a piece, so we set a pair of round-nose pliers one turn from closing an open ring above the words – and wish the traveler both kinds. Pressed blind into the honeyed russet bag riding on its deep brown partner.

The black-and-white Good Findings pliers and jump-ring stamp plate from The Strand and the Stone leather collection.

Indian-summer and dark-espresso leather dopp kits blind stamped with the Good Findings design from The Strand and the Stone collection.

We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this collection is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.

If you'd like any of these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.