Designing jewellery through play
I make all of my solid gold jewellery using the lost wax method, which involves handcarving a model out of jeweller's wax, then having the wax model cast in precious metal.
For this project, I decided to focus on expressive and natural handcarving without a particular design in mind, allowing things to take shape organically over time.
Creating a versatile composition
Details of the wax sculpture
Ultimately, I wanted to create something that would let the subjects (bird and fruit) as well as the materials (metal and stone) interact within the design and composition. My favourite expression of this idea belongs to the persimmon stem, which floats right above the four-lobed leaves of the fruit:
The overall effect is that the face of the natural pink sapphire represents the persimmon fruit, with consistent details all the way through to the other side. As a necklace, the design is reversible, but more importantly, the design can be viewed from any angle as a sculpture in its own right!
In the beginning, I had looked for an orange stone, but ultimately chose a vibrant pink because I thought it would contrast better with yellow gold... the same way that a natural persimmon shines brightly against dark branches or snow :)
Learn more about jewellery design and wax carving
If you'd like to know more about my studio work and craft process:
Thanks for reading!