My Work
I am a coming to the end of my jewellery degree at the university for the creative arts where I explored a range of techniques, styles and materials in hopes of developing my own individual creative voice. These pieces are a selection of works mainly from my time at university but also outside of this in my own time. I have found when working on the more in depth and complex pieces, I enjoy exploring clear imagery which often has a conflict between the darkness of a subject matter and the beautiful and intricate details found within.
The Heart Ring
This is one of my university projects in which I artistically explored the protective nature of the ribcage in relation to the heart. The main part of the ring is hand fabricated using shaping, forming and soldering techniques and the heart is made by carved wax that was then cast in silver. I also used patination methods to enhance contrast and to create depth.
Poison Bottle Necklace
This was an outcome from a university project where I designed and created a pendant that was influenced by victorian poison bottles. I hand crafted the chain along with a clasp to secure it. The pendant was hand carved in wax which then was cast and patinated. This was the project that started my interest in wax carving and its endless possibilities.
Butterfly Ring
This design represents the fleeting, precious moments of a butterfly in flight, with beauty found in the simplest intrinsic acts of this creature. This butterfly's transient flight is now frozen in time permanently. I wanted to focus on the texture and patterns of the butterfly wings and how the light catches the details within them. I created this effect on my design through hand engraved lines which when the piece is moved, creates the same light reflection in areas as you would see with an actual butterfly.
Lepidoptera Ring
This piece was part of a set which I made for one of my university projects. Inspired by the preservation and display of butterflies, this piece uses hand-engraving and enamelling to express a conflict between the fleeting life and beauty of the butterfly and its final encasement as it is framed for exhibition.
Lepidoptera Necklace
This necklace was part of the same project as the ring shown above in which I looked at the art of butterfly preservation, particularly the victorian framed butterflies. This was the project where I first explored enamelling and the potential vibrant colours it can add to pieces.
Bloom Ear-Cuff
This was a personal project I created to push myself on scale and design of a piece. I found this really interesting and it made me think less conventionally about what I can design and the potential possibilities of my work. I used hand fabrication methods including sawing, forming, doming and soldering to create this ear-cuff.
Disc Ring
This was also a personal project I enjoyed creating. It is inspired by intertwining wrapping vines and how they form around a branch. This project helped me to develop practical problem solving skills when finding a solution to get the wire to bend and sit in the right place so all the pieces connected together well.
Jade Bracelet
This was also a personal project in which I wanted to create a more commercial piece which incorporated stone setting. I handmade the chain, clasp and bezel and then soldered it all together and set the stone within the bezel.
Folding Fan Ring
This ring was another project at university, our brief was to create a piece that only used cold connections. This helped me to think outside of the box when designing and encorpoarting connections into my work. I used folding along with tabs and slots to hold the piece together. The theme explored was the forms of traditional folding fans.
Process Pictures
