* How does this work? Its very simply, exciting and fun. First you select a bracelet, necklace, earring or accessory setting from one
 of our jewelry pages. Second you select the pattern you want your horse or pony's tail hair to be plaited into. Remember to check
 which patterns are available for the setting you choose. Contact us and then send us your horse hair and payment. Thats about it.
 For complete details, please follow our "how to order" guidelines.

 * Any horse hair that is not used in the creation of your hand made horse hair plait will be carefully handled and returned to you.

 * A gift of Solenaro Designs Horsehair Jewelry is almost always thought of as "the best present" an equestrian has ever opened.
 Almost every day we hear from riders, trainers, vets, instructors, husbands and wives about how well their gifts were received.
 Be prepared because there are often tears. It truly is a wonderful gesture; personal, unique and beautiful and one that will be
 remembered for many years. If you prefer to have your friends and loved ones take care of the details, we do have gift certificates.

 * The term "plait" refers to the finished form of your horse hair. It is not braided (made from three bundles of hair) or a weave
 (woven and held together with horizontal threads). Our hair plaiting techniques are proprietorial yet simple. Based upon Victorian
 hair plaiting principles, all of our hair plaits are hand made. We use no looms, bobbins or machinery of any kind. Your horse hair is
 hand sorted, prepared, bundled and plaited by hand so that every inch is perfect.

 * Comfortable? You bet it is. You will be astounded at how often you'll forget that you are wearing  jewelry. It is silky to the touch
 and pliable like a cord.

 * The care of your hand made horse hair plait is simple. Its horse hair! Give it a bath. An occasional rinse in shampoo water, gently
 blotted and laid out on a towel to air dry and its clean. Polish any sterling with a clean silver jewelry polishing cloth and its done.

 * Solenaro Designs does occasionally take to the road to exhibit jewelry at special events and locations. Our jewelry line has been
 viewed at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, Sterlingbrook Farm Juried Equine Art Exhibit, Prallsville Mills Art Gallery, Horsemen's Outlet Horse Supply Superstore, Black River Farm's Autumn Classic Grand Prix and the Angel Flight NE benefit show at Duncraven Farm. July and August of 2008 were special months for us. The State Museum of Pennsylvania honored us with an invitation to exhibit our jewelry in a gallery presentation of notable brooches, entitled Pin Up: The Brooch. Hope we saw you there.

 * Finally, we really do care about your order. We know that it is more than a piece of jewelry. Its a special reminder of your horse.
 We want to exceed all of your expectations. We know how much this means to you or your gift recipient. Your Solenaro Designs
 jewelry order doesn't leave our studio until its perfect. So weather you own, train, or ride hunter/jumper, dressage, equitation,
 pleasure, event, play polo, fox hunt or have an elderly equine friend in the field, please don't hesitate to call or write to us. Please
 consider allowing us to help honor, memorialize and forever keep your horse or pony with you.

 plaited horsehair bracelets. Each setting has first and foremost been designed to showcase and protect a beautifully plaited lock of
 your horse or pony's tail hair. Your finished horse hair plait is placed into or framed by one of our settings, helping to insure that
 your jewelry will last for many years and without worry about damage to the valuable horse hair. The settings are beautiful,
 comfortable, uniquely original, offered in an eclectic variety of styles and with a host of plait patterns to choose from. Whether you
 desire a cuff or bangle made with a plait of your horse or pony's tail hair, there is a bracelet for you.

HORSE HAIR NECKLACES: Found on the "Necklace" pages are our collections of horse hair necklaces. Knowing that your horse hair
 is exposed to less wear than a bracelet allows us to safely execute designs that display the maximum amount of your horse's tail
 hair. Here you find styles for every taste; some casual, some classic, some formal...all timeless. And like our bracelets, each
 necklace is hand made, by us, one at a time in our studio, ensuring that your finished pieces of heirloom equestrian jewelry are
 perfect for you.

HORSE HAIR EARRINGS: Created at the urging of our many equestrian customers, this collection of unique, beautiful and graceful
 earring designs will complement any jewelry you own and of course perfectly match many of our necklaces and bracelets.

HORSE HAIR ENSEMBLES: For those of you that want a bracelet and necklace of the same style we have created these complete
 jewelry suites. The sets are offered at a discount when compared to the price of separately purchasing the two pieces.

HORSE HAIR ACCESSORIES: This collection, found on the Accessories" page, introduces horse hair equestrian jewelry other than
 bracelets, necklaces or earrings. Here you will find a limited number of pendants, earrings, one of a kind rings and other creations
 we have dreamed up for you to wear.

COMMISSIONED WORK: We understand that you my want us to create a design that is not found in the other jewelry collections...
 one that is not yet offered. This commissioned jewelry collection represents some of the custom jewelry that was first designed by or with the help of a client. We do recognize that you may have your own ideas and we honor that thought. If you would like to commission an original piece of custom jewelry, please contact us. We would be delighted to help guide you through the process of creating custom jewelry from Solenaro Designs Horsehair Jewelry. We have scores of ideas, styles, settings and plait patterns that
 have yet to be executed. Our collection of black opal, red diamond, antique ivory and colored gemstones are available for your
  jewelry when you commission a Solenaro Designs original. We would be pleased to speak with you anytime about creating something almost as unique as your horse. Beautiful, memorable, personal and a perfect fit...our jewelry and your horse.

CUSTOM JEWELRY: Our creative urges occasionally take over and we design a custom, one of a kind piece of jewelry from our own horsehair, gems and precious metals. This custom jewelry collection represents a variety of textures, materials, styles and imaginative designs that are meant to showcase the techniques we continually develop to transform horsehair into beautiful, wearable works of art. The pieces in this custom jewelry collection are only made and offered once, ensuring that you receive a truly original Solenaro Design custom jewelry creation that only you will own.

 We start with a blank slate. Maybe it was a comment made by a client, a thought we had while working on a piece last month or something else. The result is almost always a piece of custom art jewelry we once thought impossible to fabricate. The inspiration can come from something as simple as a word, a color, a texture, a beautiful black opal or a philosophy. "Transformation" turned into the Metamorphosis Ensemble. "Growth" inspired the Flower Brooch and "magic" yielded the Moon And Stars bracelet and necklace. The idea of "levitating a pearl" became the Great Suspension Bracelet that is found in the Commissioned Works Collection. We'll build the design around the subject and never know where the work will take us. It may be a new way to plait horse hair, set a stone or hinge a bracelet. This is custom jewelry; original pieces of jewelry whose inspiration is something other than jewelry...an idea that becomes wearable. The sketches are made whether or not we know how to implement the design. We may start with the horse hair or the hammer or the torch. It may take a day or several months...it doesn't matter. The piece may be sold before completion, exhibited in an art show or consigned to an area gallery. All we ever really know before we start a piece is that it will be original, have come from inspiration and someone will enjoy wearing it. Whether you own horses, have several Solenaro Designs pieces in your jewelry collection or just enjoy owning original art, please consider purchasing one of these pieces.

Copyright.2011.Solenaro Designs and Bruce Banks.All rights reserved.