Liane Vaz
Liane Vaz Designs
Toronto, Ontario. Canada
In 2009, Liane began the first of four (and some) years at OCAD University in the Jewellery & Metalsmithing program. Now, Liane has graduated OCAD University and works as a studio monitor in two different jewellery studios. Liane is currently working towards releasing several new collections set at different price ranges - from the more student-friendly and affordable to high-end luxury brand… as well as accepting commissions. She also volunteers her time at the Metal Arts Guild of Canada, and is taking various online courses on Business and Entrepreneurship. Her dream is to open up her own collaborative jewellery studio.
You can find Liane in the studio working either on her own projects or helping someone with theirs. And when she's not in the studio she's usually attempting to keep up with various television shows and online lectures, watching Disney movies or documentaries, or planning events and group activities.
Materials: sterling silver
The idea for this project grew out of the boundaries and requirements of the project outline. The need for plane changes, changes of size, and creating a voluminous effect all the while keep the design elegant was a challenge.
Through sketches and ideations I decided that I liked the idea of juxtaposing organic shapes in a geometric frame. To incorporate volume I though of a hollow cube frame with filigreed surfaces. In order to develop this idea further, I researched ice and water (another juxtaposition) – the filigree designs would convey the idea of water and the cube framework would represent the ice.
I did not want to have it sitting stationary on the ear, so I employed a fishhook style attachment so that the filigree could continue up off the frame and into the ear, integrating the attachment with the piece itself. I tried to make the earring look like it was splashing up off the cube onto the ear.
Photo credit: Liane Vaz
Voronoi Silver
Materials: sterling silver
Dimensions: 3cm diameter
Grasshopper is a generative algorithm editor that is used in conjunction with Rhinoceros; and Voronoi is a command that produces random geometries within a defined space. Mathematically, a Voronoi diagram is a way of dividing space into a certain number of regions. Voronoi will create a corresponding region around a set of points – called a cell. Using the Grasshopper plug-in for Rhinoceros, which is a 3D rendering program, I designed the intricate Voronoi Series. I used 3D printing and traditional casting methods to create this piece. I also laser cut the same design from MDF and acrylic.
Photo credit: Liane Vaz
Scarab Beetle Collarpiece
Dimensions: 10cm x 3cm
This piece not only took inspiration from Egyptian motifs and symbols, but also stemmed from a piece I had made in high school. For this project, my goal was to utilize the precision and detail that the 3D modelling program Rhino can give me, which isn’t so easily achieved using traditional jewellery fabrication methods. It was printed and cast in two pieces then soldered together.
Photo credit: Liane Vaz
brooch
Materials: sterling silver
Dimensions: 5.5cm x 5cm
This brooch is part of a collection that is a cartographic record on the evolution of jewellery – showing where different styles and movements occurred geographically, and how everything is connected cross-culturally. Amongst scattered cultural groups the same desire for adornment is evident, each group developing its own distinctive style, with occasional cross-fertilization from trade or invasion. Represented here is the aesthetic of maps from 17th century Europe, the era known as the Age of Exploration, which was a very important time for maps as they evolved from being just informational tools to becoming works of art. The importance of maps is highlighted by the incorporation into the jewellery to reflect value and significance. The body is connected physically and visually to the jewellery by the use of draped chain, and symbolizes more discoveries to come.
Photo credit: Liane Vaz
Bangle
Materials: brass
Dimensions: 6.5cm x 7cm
This bangle is part of a collection that is a cartographic record on the evolution of jewellery – showing where different styles and movements occurred geographically, and how everything is connected cross-culturally. Amongst scattered cultural groups the same desire for adornment is evident, each group developing its own distinctive style, with occasional cross-fertilization from trade or invasion. Represented here is the aesthetic of maps from 17th century Europe, the era known as the Age of Exploration, which was a very important time for maps as they evolved from being just informational tools to becoming works of art. The importance of maps is highlighted by the incorporation into the jewellery to reflect value and significance. The body is connected physically and visually to the jewellery by the use of draped chain, and symbolizes more discoveries to come.
Photo credit: Liane Vaz
Quadrigraph Bangle
Materials: sterling silver
Dimensions: 6.5cm diameter
“Quadrigraph” focuses on how a conventional shape, when repeated, can create a visually interesting pattern and become a component piece for a jewellery production line.
The idea spurred from the Spirograph, a creative children’s toy that creates mathematical curves using simple gears. The resulting geometries will look like a simple shape repeated on top of each other and rotated at a specific angle.
Photo credit: Liane Vaz
