Thursday 17 July 2014

Icon jewellery exhibition

 Last Saturday, we headed to the National Centre for Craft and Design again, to look at a jewellery exhibition called Icons.  It was an interesting idea - jewellers were asked to create a piece for a person or thing that they considered an icon. I was allowed to take photos, which is always a bonus.
 This amethyst ring and the moonstone necklace in the next two photos were designed for Tilda Swinton and capture her cool, detached, ethereal quality very well, I feel.

 I loved the sweeping curves of the moonstone torque neckalce.
 This necklace and ring set was created for a polar bear.  The jeweller used resin to create the icy arctic blue.
 Chris and I both liked this one, inspired by The Shard.
 Again, there was a great sense of movement in the design.
 The complex and impressive piece was designed for David Bowie's 'Diamond Dogs' song/album.
 The two iron spheres encrusted in flowers and skulls made from lots of semi-precious gems was made for Alexander McQueen.
 This was another of my favourites as I found the design fascinating.  It looked like a box, but when you looked at the photos, you could see there was a square brooch in the centre, then a square bangle and a square necklace, made up from smaller squares.  Only when the three were displayed together would you see the shape of the angel wings, showing the inspiration.
 A beautiful thing in its own right.
 The blues of this piece appealed to me and on closer inspection, the shape of the towers from the Battersea Power Station appeared.
 This piece was Chris' favourite - Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, was the icon here.
 There was a huge amount of attention to detail shown here, from the complex beading to the printed writing on the back of the oval pendant.
 This quite classic looking Viking/Celtic-type bangle was inspired by a female character from Game of Thrones.
Finally, this simple looking piece of circuit board was designed for Alan Turing, the computer scientist and the jeweller had written that the inclusion of pink referred to the fight against prejudice as Alan Turing was prosecuted for homosexuality and died from cyanide poisoning. According to Wikipedia, he received a posthumous pardon from the Queen in December 2013.
I really enjoyed seeing these pieces - there were many others too, including two for Vivienne Westwood, but the ones I have featured are the ones that appealed to me most.
Here's a little something to think about - which icon would you have chosen?

9 comments:

  1. Wow. I would have loved that exhibition. And my father, who made some equisite jewellery would have as well.
    Thank you.

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    1. Thanks, EC. We really enjoyed it too - it was so interesting to see the different interpretations.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  2. The Alexander McQueen one....Is it a dog collar with pendants...if so I wouldn't fancy wearing it with those spikes.
    Lovely lost of jewellery though, I'd love some unusual earrings but have a job findind any around here.
    Briony
    x

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    1. Thank, Briony. I'm pretty sure the Alexander McQueen piece wasn't wearable at all, but as a display piece, it was very impressive. You'll have to make yourself some earrings instead - polymer clay is great for that! Have a look on the internet for some inspiration as there is loads out there! Also, polymer clay can be painted, have alcohol ink on it, made to look like metal, and a multitude of other surface effects...something to think about?
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  3. What a fascinating exhibition and I love the idea of designing for icons-what thought went into the designs. For me the icon would have to be Marilyn Monroe-I would design something very glamorous for her but something that also reflected a fragile, tortured soul xx

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    1. Thanks, Alison. It was a really interesting exhibition. I am a Marilyn fan too - I think she would be a fascinating icon to create a piece of jewellery for.
      Beat wishes
      Ellie

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    2. Sorry, I meant best wishes!
      Ellie

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  4. Such beautiful pieces all of them and thanks so much for giving us a little look at them Ellie! I think the pieces made for Tilda Swinton grabbed my attention most, although I certainly wouldn't want to wear them …. but I do wear an amethyst ring - of a very simple design compared to that one!!! The angel wings box is very clever too - what talent these designers are gifted with. Have a great weekend Ellie, xoJoy

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    1. Thanks, Joy. I am really pleased we went to the exhibition as the pieces were fascinating to see. I love amethyst jewellery too - one of my favourite stones.
      Have a good weekend too.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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