Month three outcome -
Leather Jewellery:
For those following me on social media, you will know that May was my month of making leather jewellery. This is actually not my first time working with the medium. In fact back at University many moons ago in my final year, I made a number of leather corset style belts. I have to say I had the help of a very brilliant saddler at the time though!
This time I was going it alone so I kept the working simple and tried to not over complicate my design. After many samples made, I concluded the month with a set of leather/wood/metal brooches.
Month three was a celebration of leather because this is the material that marks the third wedding anniversary. So each month for the rest of the year, I will be selecting the next material in line. Each marks the next sentimental anniversary gift.
My plan this year is to mark months 1-10 in celebration of my ten years in business.
During May I also recommended some brilliant makers who create pieces made in leather, see more here. I interviewed watchmaker Jon Shakespeare, see more here. Finally, I made a series of NEW leather jewellery and this is what I wanted to talk about further in this blog post.
Designing in leather
A collection with meaning …
As a designer I have found over the years, there are a certain number of themes which seem to tie together all of my collections. For many years I viewed each collection I created as a completely new entity. My feeling was that they didn’t necessarily convey a similar message or even have a cohesive aesthetic. However with time and wisdom from peers, I can see that my work does indeed have reoccuring themes.
One of these is the theme of preciousness, of time, of sentiment and of nurturing the forgotten. This idea to some extent has threads through each and every collection. It’s also something which intrigues me in life and in the work of others. As something so central, it’s also the reason in my series of Designer Interviews that I have questioned others on the subject.
Creating leather jewellery this month has allowed me to explore this theme once more, with hopefully a new angle. The series of brooches I have made are pieces of hope, of dreaming, of time spent and of remembrance. They’re vistas which transport you to another place, remind you of a memory and allow a moment of serenity in a busy world.
Work in progress…
I knew I wanted to create more than just one piece, so that viewers could find a connection with at least one of the scenes I was hoping to create. I wondered where it was I adventured to when I was in need of reflection time. Ironically it came to me on a break to Greece at the start of the month. There I was listening to sea in the sun, (trying to escape from the world) and that’s when the idea came to me.
I quickly scribbled the ideas that were in my head in to my phone and emailed it to myself so that I could come back to it on my return. As you’ll see they’re very rough and I can admit drawing is not my strong point. But the idea was there for me to revisit on my return to the studio.
Leather outcome
The outcome…
A playful set of simplistic graphics, made in leather. Three brooches capturing ‘Moments in Time’.
- One: my daydream brooch, for taking time to just be.
- Two: my dusk till dawn brooch, for fresh beginnings.
- Three: my moonlight brooch, for making wishes come true.
The leather scenes are captured on wood and set on a vintage style brass brooch setting, with pin closure. Versatile yet meaningful and each one ever so slightly unique, due to its making by hand.
I’d love to know what you think, so do leave a reply and let us know your thoughts.
