COLUMNIST / JANET FITCH
Ethical
Jewellery
Resident columnist Janet Fitch delves
into the latest jewellery trends and
details upcoming events and launches
for you to explore this month
C
urrent consumer concerns – ethical, authentic, traceable provenance, a light
carbon footprint, wellbeing - must surely benefit the crafts. London Craft
Week, now in its fifth year, has grown to encompass more than 240 events
in its creativity-packed programme, stretching from the 8-12 May, including
exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops and talks across the city. The public
can explore the processes involved in creating fine crafts products across the spectrum -
from the engine of a Rolls Royce Phantom, rush weaving or the Made in Japan project to
the many jewellery events taking place.
Jewellery designer Daphne Krinos and metalsmith Ane Christensen present an
exhibition of their collaboration, Common Threads, at the newly refurbished Studio Fusion
Gallery in Oxo Tower Wharf from 6 May to 8 June, marking the opening with a discussion
hosted by curator and journalist Corinne Julius on 8 May. (www.studiofusiongallery.co.uk)
Goldsmith, engraver and enameller Harry Forster-Stringer demonstrates the intricate
techniques of engraving, preparing enamel, enamelling and firing in the kiln that lie
behind his creations on 12 May in D.R.Harris’s Apothecary in SW1.
Unearthing Natures Treasures and Commercial Complexities is the title of jeweller
Ruth Tomlinson’s exhibition and tours of her workshop in Hatton Place EC1 from 8-12
May, with a talk on 11 May at Cockpit Arts on the relationship between luxury craft and
commercial fine jewellery design. Didier Ltd. are exhibiting British craft masters’ jewels
of the 20th century celebrating design creativity and use of innovative materials by the
likes of Wendy Ramshaw and David Watkins, alongside jewels by prominent artists and
sculptors, from 8-11 May. There are talks on the subject in the evenings, and also displayed
is the prototype model of the Ramshaw Gates recently acquired by the V & A.
At Contemporary Applied Arts, SE1, the London Craft Week activities are built around
the theme of Gems, Threads and Stories – New textiles and jewellery from six master
makers, incorporating Birth of Flowers, a retrospective of Annie Sherburne’s 40 year career
in textiles, fashion accessories and jewellery as well as new work from jewellers Jane Adam,
Louise O’Neill, Suzanne Potter, Joanne Thompson and textile artist Ekta Kaul.
Annie Sherburne, a pioneer in felt making in the 1980s, is a devotee of the ‘slow
movement’ and believes in sustainability and making objects that take time and patience,
‘an act of rebellion against the financial imperative of mass production.’ Annie’s mother
was an artist and musician and Annie spent her childhood making things. Later, she
studied fashion and textiles at Central St Martin’s and Goldsmiths College, and made
hats and accessories for fashion designer Jean Muir. Her work is held in many private
and public collections like the V & A and Paris’s Musee des Arts Decoratifs .The colourful
jewellery juxtaposes vintage stones with unusual ready-made figures that she combines
and remodels into contemporary pieces. The vintage components date from 20th century
Czechoslovakia, bought by her late husband for their then shops in Portobello Road and
Hyper Hyper in Kensington.
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MAY 2019 | WWW.JEWELLERYFOCUS.CO.UK