Jewellery Focus May 2019 | Page 17

FROM THE BENCH / KAT Y TROMANS Home is where the bench is All of my work begins with a story, a memory or an event. This is the first piece of work I created that wasn’t inspired by a fairy-tale, but was inspired by my career. Each hero piece has a series of jewellery integrated within the Objet de ‘art. The initial stages of creating this piece happen in the CAD software Rhino and Artcam. There is a wearable saw frame pendant and a pair of Maun parallel plier earrings within this miniature scene. The remainder of the collection has a variety of hammers, mandrels, files and polishing equipment which all can be worn as a pendant and earrings, these pieces can be sold separately to the Bench. The piece is called ‘Home is where the bench is’ and this is written along the back of the jewellers bench. The material I choose to work in is sterling silver, this is so I can easily oxidise the precious metal and allow the miniature details to shine through. the designer’s perspective ‘Home is where the bench is’, is inspired by my creative practice and captures it within a miniature silver artwork that incorporates jewellery within the design. The process starts by sketching ideas and problem solving on paper before I begin the CAD process. This is where I am the most excited throughout the development of the piece as I can see the design coming to life This piece is created by 3D printing in moldable resin, it is then produced in wax and cast into sterling silver, and it is made up of seven parts, including hand fabrication. Katy Tromans three dimensionally. I use 3D printing to create samples and test the fittings before I cast the piece into sterling silver. I then begin to clean the castings up using traditional techniques and assemble and finalise the outcome to a professional finish. Every piece I create is constantly developing in design, from initial idea generation through to the assembly and finishing. At each stage I am learning and developing the piece, making each step more exciting than the last. MAY 2019 | WWW.JEWELLERYFOCUS.CO.UK 17