The Story Behind Fair Portia

Born and raised on Key Biscayne, Florida, Gina was among a handful of kids on the island who never once took a beach blanket jewelry class with Mrs. Koslyn. In a bizarre twist of fate, a childhood friend sent jewelry tools accompanied by a hand drawn diagram with arrows pointing to pliers.

A decade later she is still designing and handcrafting jewelry under the alias Fair Portia, one of her favorite Shakespearean heroines. Her one of a kind pieces intertwine textile techniques in metal with stones ranging from Swarovski to sapphires. Her atelier is located in downtown Olympia's New Caldonia building.

Shakespeare's Fair Portia, the name of Gina's shop, is her muse to capture the romantic style of her jewelry. The exquisite material she uses is carefully chosen to make each piece unique.

Fair Portia , Gina Vitale Syrja and the community...

The Art of Music 2007

Forteen noted visual artists have donated their time and talent to create original works for the Art of Music project. Each artist was given an unplayable violin as a blank canvas on which to create a work of art in their own distinctive style. The artists have created a stunning collection of pieces that were then individually sold at a live auction in the spring of 2007 benefiting the Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia.

The violin titled Golden Cadence has every kind of gold, including 14k filled, 14k, 18k, and 24k gold ribbon. There are 22k Venetian glass beads and a 24k gold foil globe encasing pearls. The violin is dotted with 1948 gold sequins and fresh water pearls, with the scroll finished off in Gina's signature technique of crochet and twinning used in her handcrafted wedding tiaras.

The violin is signed by the artist and includes a quote from Shakespeare – Lux tua vita mihi, meaning "Thy light is life to me."