As a working jeweller who is usually worked to the bone with commission work this is a total self indulgence. Something that I have made in what little spare time I have that eventually took precedence over customers work until I was finished.
This incorporates a 9ct rode gold watch chain from 1920 and two nails from my Grandad’s shed. It has been made using techniques taught to me by my old metalwork teacher who before he retired spent two years teaching me blacksmithing, the trade he started with as a young boy.
So as a salute or tip of the hat to these great people, the smell of Grandad’s shed, (open paint pots, creosote fence paint, hot wooden sheds on a summers day) and the sound of the hammer and the anvil I have made the ‘Rust in Peace’ bracelet.
I have cold riveted some of the joints and soldered others. The bullet cut topaz is secured in place with a welded under panel whereas the antique cut sapphire has been deliberately crudely set. Finally I heated it to just under a red colour and quenched it in dirty old engine oil to give it a black look and hopefully not to rust on my wrist.
It has been a pleasure to know that every slip of the hammer only enhanced the finished piece as to the catastrophe of errors when dealing with customers jewellery.
I hope you appreciate it’s conception.
David Roux, UK
“Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder” is a visual trip through contemporary jewelry design from around the world, focused on some surprising material choices. This exhibition features work by jewelry artists who are exploring the concept of jewelry as wearable art using a wide range of materials, many not commonly thought of as “jewelry” materials. One of the driving goals of the exhibition is to show the quality and range of work that can be created using materials other than the “big three” - platinum, gold and silver. While these may be used as accents in the work, they do not compose the primary material.
Design choices drive material choices, and the entries in this exhibition show the tremendous range of possible materials which can be used to create cutting edge jewelry. Materials used range from metals used for thousands of years, such as copper and bronze, to “new” metals such as titanium, to natural materials such as vertebrae and wood, to surprising man-made materials such as plastic drinking straws and colored pencils.
This truly international exhibition features work from every continent and many sub-continents. Artists range from mature artists with international reputations to students still learning their craft. Many of these artists focus on the use of “green” materials, and explore the re-use or “upcycling” of materials into wearable art.
It is our hope that viewers will enjoy the exhibition and be inspired to stretch the limits of what they perceive as acceptable materials in jewelry.
