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/Jewellery Crush/ Ros Millar Yellow Brickmoon Ring

Wednesday 30 December 2015

Inspiration: Natural forms, gothic luxe edge, inventive originality
Style: Asymmetric, textured, statement piece
Ring: Yellow gold double band ring with cut out details 


 


/Jewellery Crush/ lzzrjewelry Silver UpperCase Ring

Thursday 17 December 2015

Inspiration: Barcelona Pavilion, Fallingwater’s cantilevered balconies, Philip Johnson’s glass house, Modernism, architecture
Style: Geometric, masculinity/femininity, minimalist, sustainable adornment
Ring: Matte, brushed finish sterling silver ring 


/Jewellery Crush/ Moogu Melting Ice Earrings

Wednesday 9 December 2015




 Inspiration: Elementary forms, essential materials, visual language, culture, nature, Japanese poetry, oneiric (dreams)
Style: contemporary, Nordic design, geometry, organic, minimalism
Earrings: Handcrafted sterling silver and oxidized silver, white natural pearl from the Minus Collection



Square | Alma Sophia Design Interview

Thursday 3 December 2015




London based jewellery maker  Alma Sophia Geller's Scandinavian background influences the main body of her work, with minimalism and geometry reflecting aesthetically in her Square collection. She has a fascination with unveiling objects that are hidden, igniting innate curiosity of something that excites and something that cannot be seen, akin to a forbidden fruit or a Pandora's Box. 

Through the experimentation of shapes and forms, Alma creates a collection that are invitingly touchable, lightweight and comfortable to wear everyday whilst exploring the relationship between the jewellery and the wearer.

 Here I speak to Alma in more depth about what inspired her to become a jewellery designer, the concept of her new collection and future aspirations.




1. What inspired you to become a jewellery designer? 

Making jewellery has always been something that I knew I wanted to do! I loved making simple jewellery as a child, knew what I liked, and easily picked my favourite beads in the store. I wrote a paper on Goldsmithing when I was 13 years old in school, where I researched the different jewellery schools in Norway and what qualities are needed as a goldsmith and jeweler. So when I finished high school I started my technical goldsmithing education in Norway.

It was only when I came to the UK to do my degree that I discovered all kinds of amazing design and realized that I could be a jewellery designer/maker. Here I learned about design process and developing a collection.

2. Most designers are influenced by their travels, culture, origins and personal life and applied them to their collection. How do you gather your own research for your jewellery label? 

I was born in New York, grew up in Oslo and now live in London. I’ve found (and continue to find!) a lot of inspiration in these cities. I love to walk around London and take pictures; of beautiful architecture the city has to offer, of parks, and art galleries and museums are of course full of fantastic artistic inspiration too.

My work organically develops in the workshop where I experiment with different shapes and form. All my pieces are hand made, not cast, so that the clean lines and crisp corners may be maintained as well as the organic nature of the handmade elements.


3. I love the geometric and minimalist aspect of your Square collection. What is the inspiration behind this?

Architecture, clean lines and hidden details are my inspiration .The Square Collection is based around the fascination and surprise of cutting something open and uncovering what lies inside. I experiment with shape and form to create pieces that are inviting to touch, handle and wear. I find it fascinating to take a basic shape, like the cube, to turn it, change it and form it into a new shape. This collection is made using square tube, allowing the pieces to have volume and convey a sculptural feel whilst remaining lightweight and comfortable to wear.

4. Jewellers studio spaces are second homes for most. How would you describe your space?

My workshop is on the lower level of @work jewellery gallery in London.  I share the space with other jewelers. We often discuss and share different ideas, and that creates a really collaborative, dynamic and interesting working environment.

It's a very nice, intimate space and so I guess it’s like a second home we all share!


5. Do you have a piece/s from your collection you wear all the time?

The stacking rings!
I wear one silver square ring and one garnet baguette ring stacked together. I like how you can combine as many rings as you want in different plating colours and stones, either all on one finger or one on each. I also like the hint of colour. I am currently making a new ring for myself to add to my stack.
I also wear earrings and like to have my cluster studs for everyday wear.

6. What is the jewellery industry like in Norway? How different is it from the UK? 

In Norway there is a more traditional Goldsmithing education where you learn all the technical skills, or you can study metal & art jewellery at Oslo National Academy of the Arts which is a more artistic degree.

I think that in the UK you learn more how to be a jewellery designer/maker, and there are much more opportunities. Norway is a small country and so naturally the jewellery industry is much smaller. Here in the UK there are a lot of great opportunities for makers, from creative workspaces to exhibitions and craft fairs.



7.  What is your favourite social media platform? How do you utilise it to your advantage?

Definitely Instagram. I am a visual person and have a real interest in art and photography. So for me Instagram seems like the obvious social medium platform, over the likes of Facebook or Twitter for example. I post pictures of my work, work in progress and things that inspire me. I think it´s a great platform to use like a blog, informing followers on what I am up to like upcoming exhibition and shows, or reveal new pieces in the making!

8. Describe the person wearing your collection.

My work is aimed at people of all ages that appreciate something a little different – a side step to convention, a minimal, geometric aesthetic, with interesting angles and details. People who are interested in architecture, hidden details and drawn to Scandinavian aesthetics.


9. Is there a jewellery designer or influential public figure you look up to the most?

I love Alexander Calder. His mobiles (moving artistic structures) are fantastic, both in terms of their captivating movement and interesting shapes. He also made interesting jewellery that have a lot of volume and are also quite sculptural. Some of the jewellery is all made of one repetitive shape, which is something I am drawn to.

10. Is there is brand or person you would love to collaborate with?

I would love to collaborate with a product designer or even an interior designer. What the project would be I am unsure.

I just finished Hothouse, a programme run by the Crafts Council supporting newly established makers. Here I met so many great people making things from ceramic & glass to textiles and leatherwork. I would love to collaborate with all of them. One idea I have is to do a Pop-Up shop where we all would exhibit together!

11. 5 words to describe your jewellery.

Minimalistic, architectural, sculptural, playful, handmade.


/Jewellery Crush/ Anu Tera IRON CAGE BRACELET

Thursday 26 November 2015


Inspiration: Dark fashion, underground rocker
Style: Darker aesthetic, moody, edgy, gothic luxe edge
Bracelet: Vegetable tanned leather cuff with wrought iron piece made by meta. Black brass clasps at back



The Perfect Tear: Zohra Rahman Unsent Letters

Monday 23 November 2015







"Unsent Letters illustrate the words which could have been spoken, the letters which could have been written and the correspondences which could have been sent."

- Zohra Rahman 

Is handwriting becoming slowly obsolete? In the era where communications are typed, tweeted, texted and blogged, it is fair to say the illustrious period where handwriting is a form of art and inner expression is being replaced with pre-selected fonts provided for us. Although words are used to express opinions, feelings, grievances and thoughts, sometimes visuals speak louder than words, especially through the means of wearable art.

Ripped pieces of gold and white papers forms Zohra Rahman's unique collection. These scraps of paper are torn up, wrapped, and folded on various parts of the body to become personalised adornment. Her collection aims to capture everyday life moments that are so fleeting, may ultimately slip away unnoticed. 

/Jewellery Crush/ Arlia Hassell Granule Ring

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Inspiration: Environment, experimental design, beauty of the unexpected, found objects, unspoken messages
Style: Organic, rustic, moody
Ring: Recycled Sterling Silver ring, scratched oxidised finish

Scratch the Surface: Metalurj Jewelry

Tuesday 10 November 2015



 Inspired by the bustling sights and sounds of New York City as well as the materials she works with, Metalurj designer Jill Herlands creations are what I would keenly describe as distressed metal luxe; darker aesthetics but with a hint of rebellious glamour. Many of her pieces are also inspired by the raw and creative lifestyles of rock musicians she has worked with. 

Blackened, scratched and unaligned, Metalurj explores one of my favourite themes in jewellery design; deliberate imperfections and the enhancement of the material's own raw beauty. The individual gemstone adds a touch of subtle femininity to an otherwise unisex collection.

www.metalurj.com 





Rock It! David Bielander Wellpappe Series Bracelets

Thursday 29 October 2015

“I aim to walk that fine line between making something simple enough that one unavoidably recognizes, that simultaneously requires a fair conscious effort to get beyond the obvious, and at the same time to be abstract enough that it allows a shift to happen, that the piece becomes something altogether new when it unpredictably connects with you.”

- David Bielander


Award-winning jewellery artist David Bielander takes the familiarity of everyday mundane items into wearable pieces of art that are decidedly deceptive yet witty at the same time. Bielander Wellpappe series of collection explores the concept of false identity - these hastily put-together cardboard bracelets are actually made of silver and white gold, even down to the finest details such as staples to fasten, patinated surface and corrugated edges. This awe-inspiring collection is to be seen to believe, how something so simple, so childhood evoking, becomes a piece of art that will remain in jewellery enthusiasts consciousness for a while to come. 

galleryfunaki.com.au 


David Bielander's creations are inspired by the everyday world, by things that have stayed with him or that come from the collective consciousness of our society. Once the object is placed on a person, it reveals its potential as a personal jewellery item.
This kind of ambiguity is an integral part of all his designs. In 2002, after training as a goldsmith in Basel, he completed his master's degree at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich under Otto Künzli. The influence of his teacher can readily be recognised - a rounded, many-faceted education expressed in a sure knowledge of materials and in skilled craftsmanship. His creations are distinct, to a certain degree, from traditional decorative art. They retain their function as ornaments, but the downright banal character of these everyday shapes is startling. A silver slug to be worn as a brooch? A bracelet shaped like a tyre? A necklace of wooden weisswurst?
The last of these objects is a good example of the way David Bielander works. The sausage elements are based on the armrests of Thonet's No. 14 Chair - not because the artist's intention is to create an homage to a classic design or because he happens to like the chair, but because the armrests possess precisely the correct shape and curvature. Bielander adds that the sausages were in fact always present in the chair, and that what he has done is to ‘liberate' them!
For the ‘Mistkäfer' (dung beetle) he again makes use of an existing shape: a steel teaspoon. In this case, nothing was cut away; instead, the whole spoon was transformed into a perfect dung beetle, complete with legs, wings and a proboscis, by cutting into and bending its metal. This is a process that we associate with magic tricks - but David Bielander performs it to perfection.
Where David Bielander is involved, nothing is as it seems. The artist free-associates objects, forms, colours and everyday scenes. He simultaneously maintains abstraction and sufficient simplicity, leaving us free to make our own interpretation. His decorative items, however, are always made to be worn, and to be becoming to the wearerDavid Bielander worked as an apprentice goldsmith in Basel and worked for the industrial designer and jewellery maker Georg Spreng before studying under professor Otto Künzli at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. In 2006 he became the Artistic Assistant to Professor Daniel Kruger at the Academy of Fine Arts Burg Giebichenstein, Halle, Germany and in 2011, an external consultant to the jewellery department at Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. Bielander takes the familiarity of everyday objects and combines them with a witty abstraction to create truly uncanny pieces of wearable art. His work has seen him win numerous awards including the Herbert Hoffmann Prize in 2010 and the Francoise van den Bosch Award in 2012. His work is held in many public collections including the Fond National des Arts Contemporain, France, the CODA Museum, Apeldoorn, the Neue Sammlung, Munich and the National Gallery of Victoria. Bielander lives and works in Munich where he currently shares a studio with fellow represented artists Yutaka Minegishi and Helen Britton.

David Bielander's creations are inspired by the everyday world, by things that have stayed with him or that come from the collective consciousness of our society. Once the object is placed on a person, it reveals its potential as a personal jewellery item.
This kind of ambiguity is an integral part of all his designs. In 2002, after training as a goldsmith in Basel, he completed his master's degree at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich under Otto Künzli. The influence of his teacher can readily be recognised - a rounded, many-faceted education expressed in a sure knowledge of materials and in skilled craftsmanship. His creations are distinct, to a certain degree, from traditional decorative art. They retain their function as ornaments, but the downright banal character of these everyday shapes is startling. A silver slug to be worn as a brooch? A bracelet shaped like a tyre? A necklace of wooden weisswurst?
The last of these objects is a good example of the way David Bielander works. The sausage elements are based on the armrests of Thonet's No. 14 Chair - not because the artist's intention is to create an homage to a classic design or because he happens to like the chair, but because the armrests possess precisely the correct shape and curvature. Bielander adds that the sausages were in fact always present in the chair, and that what he has done is to ‘liberate' them!
For the ‘Mistkäfer' (dung beetle) he again makes use of an existing shape: a steel teaspoon. In this case, nothing was cut away; instead, the whole spoon was transformed into a perfect dung beetle, complete with legs, wings and a proboscis, by cutting into and bending its metal. This is a process that we associate with magic tricks - but David Bielander performs it to perfection.
Where David Bielander is involved, nothing is as it seems. The artist free-associates objects, forms, colours and everyday scenes. He simultaneously maintains abstraction and sufficient simplicity, leaving us free to make our own interpretation. His decorative items, however, are always made to be worn, and to be becoming to the wearer.

David Bielander's creations are inspired by the everyday world, by things that have stayed with him or that come from the collective consciousness of our society. Once the object is placed on a person, it reveals its potential as a personal jewellery item.
This kind of ambiguity is an integral part of all his designs. In 2002, after training as a goldsmith in Basel, he completed his master's degree at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich under Otto Künzli. The influence of his teacher can readily be recognised - a rounded, many-faceted education expressed in a sure knowledge of materials and in skilled craftsmanship. His creations are distinct, to a certain degree, from traditional decorative art. They retain their function as ornaments, but the downright banal character of these everyday shapes is startling. A silver slug to be worn as a brooch? A bracelet shaped like a tyre? A necklace of wooden weisswurst?
The last of these objects is a good example of the way David Bielander works. The sausage elements are based on the armrests of Thonet's No. 14 Chair - not because the artist's intention is to create an homage to a classic design or because he happens to like the chair, but because the armrests possess precisely the correct shape and curvature. Bielander adds that the sausages were in fact always present in the chair, and that what he has done is to ‘liberate' them!
For the ‘Mistkäfer' (dung beetle) he again makes use of an existing shape: a steel teaspoon. In this case, nothing was cut away; instead, the whole spoon was transformed into a perfect dung beetle, complete with legs, wings and a proboscis, by cutting into and bending its metal. This is a process that we associate with magic tricks - but David Bielander performs it to perfection.
Where David Bielander is involved, nothing is as it seems. The artist free-associates objects, forms, colours and everyday scenes. He simultaneously maintains abstraction and sufficient simplicity, leaving us free to make our own interpretation. His decorative items, however, are always made to be worn, and to be becoming to the wearer
David Bielander's creations are inspired by the everyday world, by things that have stayed with him or that come from the collective consciousness of our society. Once the object is placed on a person, it reveals its potential as a personal jewellery item.
This kind of ambiguity is an integral part of all his designs. In 2002, after training as a goldsmith in Basel, he completed his master's degree at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich under Otto Künzli. The influence of his teacher can readily be recognised - a rounded, many-faceted education expressed in a sure knowledge of materials and in skilled craftsmanship. His creations are distinct, to a certain degree, from traditional decorative art. They retain their function as ornaments, but the downright banal character of these everyday shapes is startling. A silver slug to be worn as a brooch? A bracelet shaped like a tyre? A necklace of wooden weisswurst?
The last of these objects is a good example of the way David Bielander works. The sausage elements are based on the armrests of Thonet's No. 14 Chair - not because the artist's intention is to create an homage to a classic design or because he happens to like the chair, but because the armrests possess precisely the correct shape and curvature. Bielander adds that the sausages were in fact always present in the chair, and that what he has done is to ‘liberate' them!
For the ‘Mistkäfer' (dung beetle) he again makes use of an existing shape: a steel teaspoon. In this case, nothing was cut away; instead, the whole spoon was transformed into a perfect dung beetle, complete with legs, wings and a proboscis, by cutting into and bending its metal. This is a process that we associate with magic tricks - but David Bielander performs it to perfection.
Where David Bielander is involved, nothing is as it seems. The artist free-associates objects, forms, colours and everyday scenes. He simultaneously maintains abstraction and sufficient simplicity, leaving us free to make our own interpretation. His decorative items, however, are always made to be worn, and to be becoming to the wearer

/Jewellery Crush/ Harriet Morris Rubble Ring

Sunday 25 October 2015

Inspiration: Natural forces, chaos, logic, organic forms
Style: minimalist, geometric, contemporary
Ring: Sterling silver gold plated ring 


 

/In Her Words/ Haydee Alonso Inter-acting Tools

Tuesday 20 October 2015


 "Human relationships change in response to environment. When one is submerged in a culture or place that is not their own, an adaptation takes place.

Behaviors and interactions shift, stretch, come together and/or detach. What if there is a way to mitigate the transition; the correct degrees of Inter-acting.

I create tools to help find a surrogate identity that peacefully flows between cultures. Mapping space. Framing gestures."

- Haydee Alonso 






/Jewellery Crush/ Tissa Berwanger Stripe Ring

Monday 12 October 2015

Inspiration: Geometric, Architecture
Style: Contemporary, structural, modern edge
Rings:Blackened silver and rose tourmaline | Gold and garnet | German silver and sterling silver




Aligned | Balanced | Ola Jewelry Interview

Monday 5 October 2015



3D printing is still a relatively new phenomena in the jewellery world, coming into mainstream prominence only a year ago and currently changing the future of jewellery design. Ina Suffeleers of OLA Jewelry became fascinated with this innovative technology whilst having a passion for creating jewellery, and OLA is a combination of both; 3D printing and design. 

Upon discovering OLA Jewelry it threw me into a eye-wide geometric stupor haze. The Balanced and Aligned collection stands for everything I seek for in jewellery design; geometric, minimalist, contemporary and conceptual, you could stay it ticks all the right boxes for me. It also helps that the Aligned collection is inspired by the influential and visionary Bauhaus movement. 

Here I speak to Ina in more depth about her fascination with 3D printing, newest collection Aligned and the creation of her pieces.

1. What inspired you to become a jewellery designer? 

For as long as I can remember I have been creatively active; I’ve always loved making stuff. I knit my first sweater at the age of 10, loved crocheting and more recently I made jewelry as a hobby. But I am not a (jewelry) designer by education so I was never able to make my own designs. I created pieces with different, existing supplies that I found on the market. I worked in the technology industry and had always been following innovative new technologies so when I heard about 3d printing I was amazed at what the technology could do and realized this technology would allow me to design and create my own jewelry collections. The first OLA collection was launched at the end of 2013. A whole new world opened up for me and I started my second professional career which has in the meantime become my full time job.


2. Ola Jewelry is a combination of 3D printing and design. What fascinates you about this innovative technology? How do you implement it with design? 


Every day I am still blown away by the technology and its opportunities. And it evolves so quickly! The materials, the print process, the possibilities… When I designed my first collection, I focused on the technical aspect of how the technology could be used to create jewelry and especially what would be possible in printing which wouldn’t be by the traditional way of jewelry making. After that the collections evolved and I really focused more on the design rather than the production aspect.




3. What is the inspiration behind your new Aligned Collection?


I like rounded and especially oval shapes and the two previous collections were dominated by these. The Aligned Collection is inspired by Bauhaus design which I am a huge fan of. The lines are minimal and pure, even more so than the previous collections. The Aligned Collection is again available in nylon (black and blue) and steel (gold- and silver plated). All jewelry pieces -in both materials- are printed directly. I love the printed steel. It has a very specific texture from the print process which adds more character to the pieces. The element of surprise certainly is something that returns in each collection. Most OLA pieces look different when looking at them from different angles. It makes the design unique, different and maybe at times a little fun too.


4. Describe the creative and technical stages of making your jewellery collection. What is the hardest and most enjoyable part of the process?


In general there are 5 different steps involved in the process. First, I design my collections on paper. I draw sketches, change, expand, fine-tune, go back to the original ideas,… it’s a process which can take anywhere from one week up to several months. Once I feel the pieces are 70% final, the sketches are turned into 3d computer files. These are needed to start the 3d printing process. Third step is the actual printing in the different materials. Designs, dimensions, just the general look and feel can differ a lot between materials so it is always exciting to see the result after a few weeks. I outsource all printing to professional 3d printing companies so my patience is often tested while waiting for the jewelry to be delivered. When the printing is to perfection, the finishing can start. The nylon is colored black and blue and the steel is plated with gold and silver. Finally the different parts have to be assembled such as the earrings, bracelets and necklaces. The post enjoyable steps are without a doubt the first and last, the design and make part. Although the ‘make part’ of my jewelry is limited, I just love seeing how everything comes together. The part I like less is the production. I’m a control freak so it’s very frustrating sometimes to see the quality is not up to my standards so then the process of printing and/or finishing has to start all over…



5. Do you have a piece/s from your collection you wear all the time?


I have to admit I hardly wear any jewelry myself. I mainly stick to rings and my absolute favorite is the Balanced Ring II in black and now from the new collection the Aligned Ring III in gold. 


6. You previously worked in marketing within the technology industry. How does this help you as a jewellery designer?


My experience as a marketing professional doesn’t help me much as a designer but it does as a business woman. You can create jewelry but of course, you need to find your market, buyers and try to sell as best and broad as you can. When I worked as a marketing consultant I used to advise a lot of tech startup companies. Now I have my own little startup to manage, so I am very glad I have this business experience which I am putting to good use every single day. When it comes to the designs, I just follow my own taste and likes. I could never launch or sell a piece I didn’t love myself…



7.  What is your favourite social media platform? How do you utilize it to your advantage?


I am still experimenting with social media and trying to figure out which is more valuable in terms of getting my brand out there, to the right audience. Each is very different, and so are the users. Personally I like Instagram, just to get a general feel of the fashion and accessories market. I absolutely love Pinterest and can spend way too much time discovering and just looking at beautiful photos and designs…


8. Describe the person wearing your collection.


That’s a tough one. The demographic of the OLA jewelry fans is very broad. OLA sells in a lot of museum shops – typically contemporary art musea – and the jewelry sells well there so people must have a love for art. Women buy OLA because it is different from other jewelry. Both from a design as well as from a material perspective. People that love minimalist and pure design…





9. Is there a jewellery designer or influential public figure you look up to the most? 


As said, I am a huge Bauhaus fan. If you look at their architecture and product designs going back as early as 1920-1930 it is clear these architects and designers were true visionaries of their times. Everything is timeless. Which is also an element I love in fashion design. 


10. Is there is brand or person you would love to collaborate with?


One day I would love to collaborate with a clothing brand or designer. There are many great clothing brands in Belgium, AF Vandevorst is one of my favorite so if they were to call one day to ask me to design a jewelry line for them, I wouldn’t need much time to think it over.


11. 5 words to describe your jewellery.


Pure, simple, different, surprising, timeless



 

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