Betting on a fashion trend
 By
Michelle J. Mills
Staff Writer
Monday, January 24, 2005 - Meredith Miller is cashing
in her chips, but not at a casino.
The chips are down at the Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda
Fountain in South Pasadena, which the Glendale residents
owns with her husband, Michael. She has recently added
a collection of poker chip jewelry and accessories to
her home-made line Fit to be Tied.
Miller has been making jewelry for six years. She began
with crystal bracelets and then moved on to crystal
embellished flower pins and other items.
"I'm discovering that I have this talent that I really
never knew existed in me," she said. "If nothing else,
it's rewarding to find this new whole part of me."
The popularity of poker and the quick sales of poker
chip sets and related items at her store set her mind
"into a fashion spin."
"I thought, people want to wear things that make a
statement these days," Miller said. "That's going to
be a part of what I think the jewelry trends are and
the T-shirt trends. I thought it would be fun to take
a piece of poker and wear it."
Not a poker player herself, Miller began researching
chips.
"I've learned that there are antique poker chips out
there. They all told an interesting story, each one
is different. In the old days they didn't all have numerals
on them, they had pictures. Each one of them is like
a little work of art."
Miller purchases her poker chips, many of them dating
back to the early 1900s, from Internet sources and flea
markets. She then embellishes them with Swarovski crystals
to complement their designs and colors.
The chips boast a range of designs, including crowns,
playing card suits, fleur de lis, crescent moons, owls,
bulldogs and stars. There are also American flags, eagles,
golf emblems and baseball-themed chips with a "stitched"
inlay border.
"I love the crown," Miller said of one design. "The
crown is fun for now because there's that whole queen
and princess thing going on in fashion. Those sell very
quickly."
Most of the chips come in muted colors. The most common
is ivory with navy blue ink or the reverse, as well
as brick red and yellow. Pink and powder blue chips
exist, but they are more unusual.
Unlike modern chips, vintage ones are made from clay
or pressed paper, which feels like plastic.
"I try to work mostly with the clay chips and what
you'll see on those a lot of them are inlaid with the
pattern inside of the border," Miller said. "There actually
was a lot of intricate work on them."
In addition to the crystals, Miller has started stringing
sterling silver charms on the necklaces to play up the
chip's theme. For example, on a chip with a beehive-like
design, she will add bee charms.
Miller also caters to conservative men by leaving some
of the money clips she creates plain, without crystals.
After many hours of practice, it now takes Miller 20-30
minutes to make each piece. It depends on how many crystals
she's gluing and how small they are.
"You have to have a steady hand because you're working
with toothpicks and little tiny tweezers," Miller said.
The Fit to be Tied line currently includes necklaces,
money clips and pins, although business card cases and
other accessories are planned. The pieces cost $25-$65
and are only available at Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda
Fountain and online at www.pokerchipgirl.com.
"It's all about the crystal and it's all about the
chip because some of these chips are very valuable.
You'd be amazed what's out there, you could spend $10
on one poker chip right now," Miller said.
"They're very rare and they're very collectible and
of course the fact that I'm drilling a hole in them,
they are jewelry now," Miller said. "They become something
else."
Miller works on her jewelry in her home, which she
shares with her husband, their daughter Rachel, 16,
four dogs, two cats and a small school of goldfish.
"You have to have a chunk of time and you really have
to focus on it," Miller said. "My cat likes to hang
out on my work table and that makes it a little tough.
We get crystals stuck on our paws sometimes and it's
pretty crazy."
Finding free time is also hard, as Miller does consulting
work and volunteers throughout the community. She is
on the board of directors for the Pasadena Humane Society
and is a white suiter for the Tournament of Roses. And
when she's not making jewelry, she enjoys knitting.
Miller's poker pieces have other charms than just their
beauty.
"Somebody that got one for Christmas won $100 on the
slot machines after she wore it," Miller said. "I know
that they're going to bring good luck."
They appear to be bringing her luck as well. Miller
is working on creating a Web site to sell her line and
is already making pieces for a separate line of "poker
chips of today." This second collection is being handled
by E.J. Enterprises, which is already receiving orders
from Las Vegas casinos.
"They're opening some interesting doors," she said.
"I think good luck is on its way. I can have five minutes
to enjoy it."
But Miller acknowledges that it's not only luck and
beauty that make her poker jewelry so special.
"There is a piece of history on each one of these chips,"
Miller said.
Michelle J. Mills can be reached at (626) 962-8811,
Ext. 2128, or by e-mail at
michelle.mills@sgvn.com.
Poker jewelry available at www.pokerchipgirl.com
or at:
Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain
1526 Mission St., South Pasadena
(626) 799-1414
Cited as one of the “Best
Old-fashioned Soda Fountains in the West” by Sunset
Magazine, and recognized by Let’s Go Budget Travel
Guide for its “quality service to travelers,”
Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain, located on the
corner of Mission and Fair Oaks in South Pasadena, is
open seven days a week: Mon.-Thurs. 9 AM- 9 PM; Fri.-Sat.
9AM-10 PM; and Sundays from 11 AM to 9 PM. For more
information, call (626) 799-1414.
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