After all.....

I fly pressed the back plate for my shrine, to find that I was particularly drawn to the smoothness of it, and how the simplicity the of domed shape along with the smoothness made it soooooo unbelievably nice to touch and feel...

So after all I mentioned a few days ago in a post about making the back look as beautiful and decorative as the front blah blah blah.... And after asking a few of my peers what they think, I have decided to keep the back plain... and let the beauty be in the simplicity of the shape and a feeling it gives (sort of therapeutic) rather then being in a visual way.

Autumn-hunting season for the leaf jeweller.

Row of coral Trees in Kenton. EC

On Friday we took the doggies for a stroll at the La Lucia park.  Don't know if I've mentioned before but I absolutely love Coral Trees, hi-tech name- Erythrina lysistemon. Unfortunately i didn't have my camera with me, but I picked up loads of fallen leaves from the magnificent tree. I did Look through my photo folders,and  found some reference pics I've taken in the past. 

They flower in winter from about July-October, before the new leaves appear in spring.

I am particularly fond of the way the leaves bunch together.

Although I never seem to be able to catch feeling in my terrible photographs, they really do look amazing from below.

An open pod, a really beautiful form.

 My favorite thing about the tree (other than the long, narrow, bright orange-red-coral (my best colour) flowers, or the curvy pods that look pinched between the seeds, which then split to reveal the little dark orange seeds) is the leaves,of course. Their shape is almost like an upside down heart but with a drawn out tip, they sort of remind me of the Large leafed Rock Fig (one of my other favorites,which has special memories for me). They also have a very pronounced and beautiful vein structure on the underside. The funny thing is i love all leaves mostly for that intricate vein structure, and with all the leafy jewels i make, i have never captured that in a piece.

Perfectly Beautiful.

Autumn time- Some of the leaves i picked up.

 The one problem I have with the Coral Tree is the big black hooked thorns that cover the trunk 

and branches, this means no climbing :( no seeing the view from the trees perspective... 

               

Sharp black hook thorns

What about the side we don't always see?

Looking back at this pendent i made in 3rd yr. The front is pretty, and i get loads of pleasure out of wearing it... but I made the back as an after thought - in a hurry, and this is clear. I don't mind people seeing it when its on me, because they don't ask to see the back. When people do hold it to have a look, I always find myself excusing the back. Eventually I'll remake the back of this one. Jewellery is or should be interactive and i have realized that all sides of any piece should be equally beautiful...

So slowly as my Cow Shrine comes together, and as the front of it becomes more decorative. I've realized that I have made the mistake again and not designed anything for the back of it. It is a pendant so the back lies against the chest, but it is a 3D structure and surely it would be disappointing for a viewer if the back of it was not beautiful. I suppose it could be compared to a building, not only the front of it is designed and then a back -oh whatever?! That seems ridiculous, and should so too in jewellery. How much more special would it become if an equal amount of time and effort goes into all areas.

Shrine in the making

Putting some thought into the back..... Going to try Fly pressing,. The detail? 

  

Replacing Etching.

I want the cow shrine I'm making to be wonderfully decorative, as traditional Shrines generally are. To achieve this, a suitable technique would be etching, It really is a beautiful technique, but unfortunately requires the use of harsh Nitric acid. Which is why I've got to explore other suitable techniques that can possibly match/compare to the intricate detail that comes out when etching.

eg.1. Etched Bangle by Virginia Vivier

eg.2. Etched silver, Sarah Alford

Techniques that I would use to replace etching could be-

 - Piercing- then layering pierced plates (to give a sense of depth).

 - Roll Milling - Giving the metal an indented texture or pattern.

 - Engraving- Perfect technique..... but i need at least a million years practice before i dare. 

 - Chasing- adds the same sort of depth dimension as engraving would, I suppose (yet less detailed).

For this pendant I think I'm going to use piercing and roll milling layered together, maybe also small accents of chasing.

Sacred Cows.

 As I have already mentioned part of my intention is to make narrative jewellery, to create awareness surrounding green issues/topics that i feel strongly about. I am going to start by making a series of 'Shrine' pendants. Addressing(or opposing) the matter i spoke about in my previous post (sad and un-sustainable animal farming methods).

Little plastic hand painted model cows i bought

Cast a few

As I would like to make beautiful jewellery, I am not going to focus on the negative aspects of an issue. Rather the opposite view, by zooming in on the positives. Eg. My first pendant will be "the Sacred cow". I don't know too much about Hinduism, but i know that cows remain protected and are considered to be sacred. The cow is honored at least once a year on Gopastami. On this holiday, cows are washed and decorated in the temples and then given offerings in the hope that her gifts of life will continue. I think this is absolutely beautiful. I wish to capture this in a piece of jewellery, and hope someone will find it beautiful and possibly shed a new light on cows in their mind??Even for just a brief moment....

A picture i tore out a mag ages ago... love the detail, shape and pattern

.

After much designing ,the  final shape.

Narrative Jewellery...

Narrative jewellery has existed alongside ancient civilizations throughout history. It stems from the humans want/urge to communicate, either by sending a message or by telling a story. Contemporary narrative jewellery came about with the pop art movement. Which opened jewellers up to creating jewellery that comments and communicates, with either the wearer, the viewer or both. The notion of narrative jewellery suggests a variety of aspects. Often through symbolism and imagery commenting on political, cultural, spiritual or social matters, and possibly even personal issues, memories, beliefs or opinions.

A Khamsa is a good example of a  image, often made into a jewel, used as a sign of protection throughout history. 

A Penny for your Thoughts. Fred Woell. 1991. Silver , brass, penny. Brooch
This Brooch comments on a politcal status, whilst making a joke of it. 

Iv come across an American metal smith and jeweller Elizabeth Goluch. She creates one of a kind detailed and decorative insects. Her work reflects the intricacy,complexity and order in nature and evokes elements of insect life and the environment. This demonstrates and shares an appreciation for insect life. Often the pieces contain a beautiful little treasure. Goluch works in gold,silver enamel and gemstones.

Farming meat :(

The current human consumption of meat is not only incredibly un-sustainable, but also really sad. Most of South Africas meat is raised under intensive industrial farming operations. Instead of being able to graze on pastures and being able to free to roam, they are fed a high percentage of grain(a completely un-natural diet) and various kinds of cheap proteins and fats...as well as high doses of antibiotics and growth hormones, and are kept indoors in highly concentrated feedlots. And if its not that, then i cant forget to mention a vast majority of world wide deforestation is to make grazing land for all this meat we're eating...

A high percentage of pigs never get to feel the earth under their feet. and around 80% of cattle and chicken are grown in confined feedlots. Sheep in this country have it better off, and are largely farm free range...good for them!

Free range diary farm. Underberg... happy cows :)

Not saying don't eat meat at all but for goodness sake, if you are fortunate enough to be aware of what is going on, at least choose free range and organic over the rest... Consumerism drives the change.
 Don't abuse the luxury of being able to pop into the supermarket and voila...
Respect these animals that give us our food.

Calf, Underberg. How cute is that face...what gentle creatures cows are.

Intention Revised...

My intention is to manufacture ‘Green’ jewellery: By

1. Using environmentally sustainable practices and techniques.

 Which means working Eco-consciously with awareness of the negative impact my practice may have on the                environment. 

       and.....

 2.- Using narrative imagery associated with ‘Green’ and the social issues that surround the topic, to comment on or create an awareness. The imagery will come from subject matter/issues that i consider to be meaningful and/or personally important.

My Title - B.Tech Research Report

I have had a little trouble deciding what title to settle on for my B.Tech Research Report. "Sustainable Jewellery",  "Environmentally conscious Jewellery" or  just "Eco Jewellery", or "Green Jewellery"? Although they all seem pretty much to say the same thing. Which one best describes what it is I am trying to achieve? I thought a little reading would help so I Googled and wikipedia-ed all related words and got blasted with an overload of info. In a nut shell, i have summarized and added my own understanding of what came up.

Environmental conservation influences the protection of natural resources and ecosystems to insure their sustainable management - through changes in public policy or individual practice.
This world wide drive towards environmental sustainability has become known as 'The Green Movement'. And has brought about commonly used contemporary words/or catch phases such as environmentally friendly, Eco friendly, nature friendly and green.  As nature is largely associated with the colour green, the word has been taken on to symbolize all things environmentally conscious.

The appropriate title is definitely- "Green Jewellery".

Chapter 5 - Conceptually Recycled

This chapter looks at the possibilities of using dicarded objects or materials used in a new light or different way, making the object sustainable in thought rather than fact.

memoria, Editions, ear pieces, Lin Cheung,1999.18ct gold, silver.

These earrings by Lin Cheung are a perfect example of this concept as she has used a bunch of butterflys which are generally only used as a practical device. Cheung has used them as the focal point/decorative aspect of the earrings- it has worked so well because what was once a simple functional butterfly,  has been grouped together to become a pretty floral ear piece.