When choosing fine jewellery, there can be a tendency to play it safe and choose a form we recognise. But perhaps we can give ourselves permission to choose something a little less conventional.
In traditional fine jewellery, materials like gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies and sapphires have accumulated a very particular visual language. When you hear “gold and diamond ring”, you’ll probably form an image of what that object is supposed to look like. So what happens when the materials remain precious, but the visual language changes?
When precious materials take an unconventional form
When I first made the Ghost Geography rings, they came out of a pretty esoteric experience, which you can read about in the story behind Ghost Geography. Despite their otherworldly beginning and unconventional form, I always thought of them as fine jewellery. I made them in 18ct (and 9ct) gold, with bright blue sapphires and white diamonds, as well as versions with a simple satin finish.
Their shape creates a tension between refinement and irregularity. Along one undulating geological edge, a line of gemstones is expertly set, using precious materials to accentuate the most unexpected part of the design. The other edge is straight, unadorned and softly brushed.
Fine jewellery doesn’t have to look like your mum’s or grandma’s
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m not interested in positioning these rings as a rejection of fine jewellery. I love fine jewellery, and I take the materials seriously. But I also feel lucky to work within a field where jewellers have a long history of challenging the expected relationship between precious materials and conventional forms. It reminds me that we don’t have to accept every expectation that comes with the words “fine jewellery”.
Preciousness doesn’t have to look a certain way.
These rings may seem unfamiliar at first, but they literally bear the hallmarks of fine jewellery. They may have an unexpected edge, but their precious gemstones sparkle away, secure in timeless and traditional settings.
