Rare: Jewellery That Reflects Environmental Themes
We're currently taking a closer look at some of the pieces showing in our Rare exhibition, which is open until August 13, 2022.
We kept the brief for this show quite open, allowing our artists to interpret it from their own lens and be free to explore their personal realm of inspiration. This resulted in an array of diverse themes and outcomes in the final submissions. We particularly noticed some jewellers explored common themes of environmental decay and the rarity of our diminishing landscape, seen in the works of William Llewellyn Griffiths, Lisa Roet and Michaela Pegum.
Scroll down to learn more about these designs, or head to the Rare exhibition page to explore nearly sixty pieces of contemporary, precious jewellery.
'Fate of The Palazzo Ducale' ring, by William Llewellyn Griffiths
"The world’s great palaces and cathedrals, so etched in the collective landscape as monumental feats of art and engineering, were built to survive and long outlast their owners’ bloodlines. With rising sea levels, many will be condemned to face a watery grave and become a rarity. Deeply inspired by the architecture of eras past, my work revives the grandeur of Gothic, the unapologetic opulence of Baroque and Rococo, and is masterfully crafted with purpose, to fascinate and endure. Created for Rare in oceanic hues and otherworldly iconography, these rings track the sea’s reclaiming of these magnificent, foredoomed buildings."
- William Llewellyn Griffiths
The 'Palazzo Salacia' ring by William Llewellyn Griffiths features a stunning 14ct paraiba tourmaline
Lisa Roet has chosen materials to represent the sentiment of this current moment in time.
"Jasper gemstone is known as the ‘supreme nurturer’, and claims to support through times of stress, clearing electromagnetic and environmental pollution, including radiation. In this world of climate change, pollution, and environmental degradation, there is no better time to wear this stone. The gemstones I have used are paired with the casting of Orangutan skin texture, to symbolise a solidarity with, and understanding of, our relationship with nature and other animals."
Jasper and garnet Orang-utan Skin Imprint Earrings (Gold Plated)
More earrings by Lisa Roet, with amethyst and peridot gemstones
Michaela Pegum's jewellery practice is garnered through the deeply embodied and poetic relationships we form with the natural world, and her pieces for Rare continue to explore these ideas.
"The Orbit and Aura rings reference the forging of gold and silver in supernova explosions and the presence of particular gemstones, such as sapphires and black diamonds, in outer space. Their gold and silver bands are made of cast impressions of desert rocks. The rings circle the fingers as a microcosmic reflection of these phenomena, and their ancient and beautiful materials."
