Materials: colour heated titanium and sterling silver
Dimensions: 4.5cm x 4cm
Sterling silver is quite malleable - it can be relatively easy to shape, texture, drill and be soldered. Titanium is hard, unyielding, destroys your drill bits and saw blades and challenges you to somehow connect it to other elements of your design. Here they are together – united, the strong titanium in its splendid colour moulded and protective of the textured shape of the sterling silver peeping out from behind. Working together to shape this heart shaped pendant.
Photo credit: Larry Hanley
Gillian Smith
GillyB Design
Nambour, Queensland. Australia
After attending a weekend silversmith workshop, Gillian has been at it hammer and tongs. Gathering tools and materials around her to bring to life the myriad of ideas that seem to constanly appear from her imagination.
Gillian doesn’t limit herself to any one material or technique but embraces the differences to create unique and thought provoking pieces of wearable art.
Playing with colour, light reflection and texture ensures for a wide variety throughout Gilians work. Some of the pieces are delicate while others show a purposeful robustness to them as shown in the pieces here on display
Ganoksin hosts the jewelry list Orchid, with over 13,000 list members from all over the world, speaking from a wide range of technical and aesthetic experiences. The exhibition theme grew out of a desire to celebrate the creativity encompassed in this wide variety.
Artists were free to interpret the theme in any way they chose. Each artist could submit up to six pieces. Interpretations include uniting different materials into one cohesive form; intellectual and emotional “unitings”, where the meaning of the piece unites multiple concepts; the uniting of time - past, present and future; and a number that focus on the harmony created when uniting multiple materials and/or concepts.
The work submitted involved a wide range of jewelry techniques, from very traditional to very cutting edge, as well as using materials from traditional precious metals and gemstones to “re-purposed” and “up-cycled” materials.
The exhibition showcases 330 images chosen from entries from over 111 artists representing 26 countries.
Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Serbia, Spain, Trinidad, Turkey, UK, USA, Venezuela, and the Virgin Islands
Many of the participants began their interest in jewelry at a young age. Some are relative newcomers to the field, and some have over 35 years of experience as professional jewelers and goldsmiths. While some grew up in families that were goldsmiths, and followed in those footsteps, others only began creating jewelry as adults.
