Oh, materials! Natural materials are the best. Metal, stone, wood, clay; linens and silks and paper; I wish I could bring all of them into my work! It is wonderful to know where things come from; to find out what makes them special, and learn about the people who make their livelihoods in bringing out the best. On every product page, I have begun to write up a Materials Information section, all about the interesting properties and stories of how each thing came to be. You can click into that to learn more about the background of a particular piece; here, I wanted to write more generally about the materials I have gotten to know in the process of developing my practice.
Gold
Pure gold (24 karat) is a natural resource with wonderful properties. When it is alloyed with other metals like silver or copper for use in jewellery, you get the different gold karats (22K, 14K, and so on). Solid gold jewellery usually refers to items made with these alloys, with 14K representing the midpoint of quality (52.5% pure gold alloyed with other metals). The alloy is important because it gives the metal strength and durability, reducing the likelihood of scratches or deformation to the jewellery over time. Under trade law, the lowest karat that can be sold under the term solid gold in Canada and the United Kingdom is 9 karat; in the United States it is 10 karat.
I've chosen to work primarily in solid gold because it is a renewable resource, endlessly recyclable, and with inherent value as a commodity, absolutely worth holding on to. For me, it's a way to challenge the modern disgrace of single-use materials; that habit of throwing things out as soon as they have served their moment of gratification or convenience. Because gold has inherent value as a physical resource and commodity, this also means that as an artist, I get to offer a form of commercial exchange that is rooted in long-term partnership (think: repairing your jewellery, having it melted into new things, creating works for multiple generations); rather than the short-term gratification and planned obsolescence cycles that dictate modern consumer habits.
Silver & Other Metals
So why not other renewable metals, such as silver, copper, brass... etc.?
Yes! To everything. I would love to learn metal forming (chasing) on copper or silver; to place colourful glass enamels on brass. This is more a question of priority. I chose gold to start because it really forced me to think about jewellery as a viable business; it has helped me balance my desire for expression with the necessary restraint required for commercial effort and design. I also wanted to be very, very careful about developing a strong studio practice around metal collection and recycling. As a person who tends to go haphazardly in the direction of my interests, it helped for me to consciously acquire tools and skills in order of what would waste the least material. Over time I feel my work has gradually evolved to suit the unique properties of gold, and despite wanting to release a silver collection for some time, I have rather struggled to replicate the look and feel of my work in silver! Like us, each material has its own strengths and weaknesses; I'm convinced it's the matchup of material-creator personalities that is responsible for the particular look and style of the resulting work ☺︎ So, until we have more time to spend, silver and other metals will still be of those I don't quite yet know.
Sapphire
The main stone I work with currently is sapphire, though in my bucket-o-rocks I also have some garnet, tourmaline, and opal (I bought the opals early on, before I learned how soft they were - so scary to set!) I like sapphire the most because it comes in ALL of the colours; including red, which is when we call it a ruby! The actual name of the mineral is corundum: blue and other colours of corundum are named in trade as sapphire, red corundum is what we call a ruby. But if you go beyond the traditional jewellery industry (which is what controls the current market and perception of diamonds), you will find many more beautiful, interesting, and reasonably-priced alternatives to work with, one of my favourites being the untreated sapphire.
Commercial sapphires (the kind you normally see in deep, clear blue) typically go through a heat treatment to improve the clarity and colour of the stones. Yellow and orange sapphires can also go through treatments to add the element beryllium to the sapphire crystal structure, which intensifies the colour and creates a greater palette to work with. However! Sapphires which remain untreated are naturally pastel-like, with a soft inner appearance that have a shimmering, misty, or opalescent effect. The visual effect of untreated sapphires is caused by the presence of needle-shaped crystals (rutile inclusions), which reflect and diffuse light in unexpected ways through the stone. These stones often have much more visual depth, with the dreamy appearance of sunlight through clouds or water. They are crazy, seriously beautiful, and I have deeply enjoyed being able to share this alternative look at natural material perfection.
Learn more about the craft of jewellery
Thanks for reading about me and my material friends! If you'd like to know more about my work, you can find more information by clicking back to the main blog below. You can also connect with me on other social platforms, where I share different bits of content (mostly in written and photo form), for those of you who are interested in the making & appreciation of art jewellery.
- Instagram: My primary social media account, where you can see work in progress and other behind the scenes!
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Pinterest: A gallery board where you can see photos and videos of everything in the collection together.
- Email: For all other questions, you can always reach me by the contact form on this website, where you can expect an email response from me within a few working days.
Have a wonderful day ☺︎