New special bespoke jewellery launch for The Weekender at Old Granada Studios

I am really excited about bringing this new special project  to Manchester this Saturday and Sunday for The Weekender at Old Granada Studios 20th 21st June.

The concept of this ring is to involve you to make your own contribution to create a unique piece  just for you.

Inspired by the wonderful world of nature, it is the Caddisfly's clever larvae which helped to create the concept of this new piece. 

To give themselves protection when they are in their young state they create their own tailor made casing.

They build their homes from the natural materials around them, each marvellous creature crafting their own perfect fit using their own choice of organic objects they find.

The artist Hubert Duprat even created an environment of minute gems and  golden nuggets so that the larvae that lodged within could en-robe themselves in the glittering treasures. I was blown away by this when I saw them in Paris at the Dries Van Noten exhibition at Les Arts Décoratifs.

For this new collection of rings I want to allow each individual to be the crafty caddisfly collecting for their own ring.

Bejewelled cases left behind by the craftings of a clever Caddisfly larvae thanks to the artist Hubert Duprat.

I made the very first of these rings for myself to signify a big change in my environment and keep a piece of it with me and I am really looking forward to allowing others to wear a part of the places that mean something to them too.

 

For each bespoke commission you can find your own materials which I can use to create your own beautifully encrusted ring. 

This could be a little sand from your favourite beach, or some gravelly debris from your very own doorstep.

I will be at The Weekender, the free designer festival at Old Granada Studios this weekend to meet you and chat about this special project, but please also feel free to email me at info@jademellor.com with any questions ideas or just to say hello!

Oh My Gobstopper

With the Amirah Kassem's installation of gumball art ready to spread joy and fun amidst the party goers at Brooklyn Artist's Ball I thought it would be the perfect time to share one of my favourite creations. My own Gobstopper ring is made one-at-a-time and one-of-a-kind in resin with a sterling silver band. Custom colours and sizes are available, to pre-order yours or make any enquiries drop me an email to:  info@jademellor.com.

10000 Gumballs making up Amirah Kassem's installation at Brooklyn Museum's Artist's Ball. Photo courtesy of Tmagazine.

Flower Shop is one of my "wish list" places to visit to have a dream cake made by amazing artist Amirah Kassem . I love her work and style, and the message behind her creations is definitely to enjoy life, with her phenomenally vibrant sweet treats becoming a way of interacting and sharing delightful experiences with one another. This definitely has a lot in common with the kind of jewellery I like to make. It's a way of communicating what you  are interested in, in a way you can share with others. And this kind of art, whether to eat, see or wear is often made to commemorate a special occasion, or brighten up the mundaneness of the everyday to appreciate a colourful world and a life worth living. A tasty, playful treat!

“The Murakami flowers have got to be one of my favourite things ever,” Says Kassem. She chose these iconic smiling blooms for her installation created by sweets at Brooklyn Museum. Photo courtesy of Tmagazine.

Enjoy The Gum-Ball! Wish I was there! 

Delicious Jewels

Easter Feast!  I love big family get-togethers and Easter bank holiday is usually a lively weekend enjoying home cooked food complete with delicious veggies.

The luxury begins with  the colourful variety, choosing beautiful stripy tomatoes or even the  occasional home-grown courgette complete with foraged edible flowers.

My family are great at cooking tasty treats, but I also really appreciate the care in how they present them. As makers they get  busy creating things both in and out of the kitchen, soldering a  delicate metal cake topper as the crowning glory to sit upon another family member's luxurious, home-made chocolate cake.

Another might have made a special journey to snaffle the best game pie, or produce some vintage linens they had squirrelled away for such a celebration. This time and care in presenting and enjoying the food makes sharing the day together even more special, showing everybody how appreciated they are. Whether it's for their baking skills or corny jokes, everyone has something to offer.

If you know any corny jokes, I'm all ears.

The scrumptious  images in this post are of Hemmerle's Delicious Jewels. This amazing vegetable collection made by these  talented craftsmen  was created in 2011  to celebrate a new chapter in their history. The book  they produced featured these gorgeous works of art in combination with the delicious recipes of Tamsin Day-Lewis. It really is a sumptuous read, a feast for the eyes and belly.

Jewellery making and food at the top level are not dissimilar, both rely on technique, long experience and tradition, purism and originality without pretentiousness, elegant simplicity at best, both are beautiful to the eye and a joy to the senses.

Tamasin Day-Lewis
Food Writer and Author

Roasted artichoke!

The Hemmerle history is incredibly  impressive, beginning in Munich with the medals and orders made for the Bavarian Royal Family. When they began by taking over an established Goldsmith's at the turn of the 20th Century they brought their unique combination of  refined craftsmanship and  a more challenging and artistic approach to materials. Their  forward thinking, whilst utilising amazing technical skills of a fine jewellers has carried through to the present day. Finding links to modern life they make unique works of art where creating the most beautiful object is more important than the quantity of jewels used.

"We felt that the cabbage did not
invariably need a pavé setting to come to
life. The crafsmanship of themetal was
sufficient." Hemmerle Jewellers

The collection highlights nature’s artistry, both vegetal and mineral, turning the mundane into the magnificent.

I hope you enjoy this time celebrating the arrival of Spring and new growth with delicious fresh treats and the warmth of friends and family. 

A Pea Easter

Roses are Red

Some vibrant hues available in one of my favourite places to shop for art supplies L.Cornelissen's & Son's "Artist's Colourmen".

Natural stones in wondrous colours provide eye candy in one of my Hatton Garden gem suppliers.

Red Arrow Jasper Necklace this unique necklace is available in my online shop here.

Mixing pigments in my studio.

Red Hewn Ring with a bright marbled blue stone. This one-of-a-kind  piece is coming to my shop soon...or email me at info@jademellor.com for details.

From beetles to bark, natural pigment samples I saw at The National Galleries "Making Colour" exhibition.

Matching lipstick and jewellery

Red clematis leaves remind me of home...

My fave lip tint looks just like a neater version of eating a bowl of cherries

Do you love God's Own Junkyard too?

My favourite red shoes.

Red Arrow Jasper necklace is available in my online shop here. For more information or to commission your own unique piece email me at info@jademellor.com with your query!

The Big Bang 2015 by Maud Traon at Gill Wing Gallery

I have been enjoying a brilliant start to 2015 by helping to create this exhibition at Gill Wing Gallery in Islington, showcasing an installation of French jewellery artist Maud Traon's jewellery and objects.

Maud's objects create a post-apocalyptic landscape as a collection of glittering, futuristic cosmic debris. She describes her approcah as "Naive, playful & messy". I love the sense of intrigue they inspire, some are wearable, others are objects to enjoy and ponder. By creating a whole installation it has created a strong atmosphere of her work and by making it visible on a busy city street it makes this kind of exciting work visible  to the general public and their daily lives rather than in a closed gallery. 

Maud Traon ring from her collection, "Oh toi mon Petit Poney"

Here is some information on our  concept behind the exhibition, and reasons for holding it at Gill Wing jewellery gallery;

The Big Bang 2015 by Maud Traon 

"An explosion of colour and creativity in the jewellery universe. Maud takes us on a flight of fantasy in her use of unusual materials in eye catching colours and sparkling textures to create objects that fill us with wonder. Finest Swarovski and toy trinkets are engulfed in resin glitter, with gold and silver layers sealing their fate.

We chose to work with Maud for our first exhibition of 2015 to show an example of the creativity and individuality of the makers work we have in the gallery. We now house over 60 original jewellery artists, from the accomplished artisans, many of whom are now teaching the next generation and the up-and-coming, experimental makers. These designers push the boundaries of jewellery by utilising new technology, or demonstrating ancient jewellery techniques combined with fresh ideas. We hope that by continuing to showcase these talented individuals, exemplified by Maud Traon's extraordinary objects, we welcome in 2015 with the only limits to jewellery being those of our own imagination."

Maud Traon ring from her collection "The Constant Gardener"

Here it's as if they are in a  vivarium creating an atmosphere for these other worldly specimens to thrive in allowing viewers to see them in their weird and wonderful habitat.

Maud says she enjoys walking when coming up with a new piece, I agree that it is perfect way to allow yourself space and time to think and dream. Maud's foam rings here are encasing fairies, mermaids and princesses, we suspended them as if they were floating away, showing the lightness and delicate beauty, something for the daydreamers wishing to escape the mundane.

When we asked her what fragrance her pieces would have Maud answered (they would smell of) "spices and sweets". They certainly look tempting to passers by, catching the eye of even the busiest shoppers and commuters on Islington's busy Upper Street!

This installation is still on now, you can see it for yourself at Gill Wing Jewellery Gallery:

182 Upper St.
London
N1 1RQ

www.gillwingjewellery.co.uk

www.maudtraon.com

"What Is Jewellery?" Exhibition Piece No.3 Nebula Knuckleduster

Jewellery is...LOOKING BEYOND

The third ring from the exhibition "What is Jewellery?"  celebrates the stargazers, dreamers and out-there thinkers. Jewellery is not an essential item, it is a means to express ideas, to challenge preconceptions and to go further than a practical object may do.

Nebula Ring 2011, As featured on Vogue China
Oxidised silver, resin and metal dust by jewellery artist Jade Mellor.

This piece is available to buy directly from my STUDIO SHOP along with other pieces including more from this exhibition.

This ring fits over three fingers, binding them together comfortably, but noticably so that it you are aware always when you are wearing it and it cannot be missed by others. It makes you feel powerful, charged with the energy of the cosmos, weightier than some of my other resin pieces due to the metal dust contained within which gleams through the surface giving an uncanny appearance. 

This is a prize jewel for a space warrior, protection to travel to new planets fearlessly and push the boundaries when escaping the mundane and constraints of local convention.

Here is some more on the origins of this piece:

"I am fascinated by meteorites, the properties these alien rocks have, often more than meets the eye. They fall from the skies as a gift from other worlds. The exhibition "Jewels from space" at the American Museum of Natural History in New York was a huge influence on me. The Cape York meteorite housed there is the biggest and heaviest ever moved by man with a weight so great special supports were built into the bedrock of the building. Seeing such a monumental object that had arrived from so far away made me want to create something otherworldly that would have an impact when worn. In exploring resin I find I can create larger scale objects, light enough to wear which at once look familiar and perplexing."

Nebula Ring 2011, As featured on Vogue China
Oxidised silver, resin and metal dust by jewellery artist Jade Mellor.

This piece is available to buy directly from my STUDIO SHOP along with other pieces including more from this exhibition.

"What Is Jewellery?" Exhibition Piece No.2 Sweet Ruin Ring

Jewellery Is...JOY

The exhibition this ring is in is about answering the question "What Is Jewellery" by using unorthodox materials. With this piece I have included a marble, a lovely object to enjoy but not considered precious, or a usual material for jewellery as it is, although it is delicate and made of glass. By working in resin I also get to explore colour in my work. This sweet pink shade brings many comments on how tasty it looks, "nougat" being a word often heard from people seeing some of these pieces for the first time. 

Sweet Ruin Ring, 2014 silver, resin, glass marble, granite, Jade Mellor. Read about this ring and the Modern Ruin series in the shop HERE

Chanel Jelly Shoes! 

Playing marbles. The milky white one above was used in the Sweet Ruin Ring!

One of my studio snacks, sweet dried papaya! I love the bizarre chewy, squidgy crystalline texture and it gives me a sugar buzz!

Here's a wonderful comment from a visitor to our annual open studios last month on seeing my work for the first time:

“They’re playful, not stuffy. They cheer me up.”

— Michael Flood 2014

This ring is about enjoying life and celebrating and sharing the things you love! By wearing jewellery you are offering it to the world. You are communicating, you nearly always HAVE to touch it, it invites you to interact, it is playful. It is sharing a bag of sweets. It is saying to the lady on the bus, "I like your hat..." it is smiling at a funny looking sausage dog on the street. That extra effort of dressing up, to take pleasure in life and decorating the world around you, taking the time to finish off an outfit, making a statement of who you are or what you like. 

“My mother was very chic and she used to say you could have a single dress but with different accessories you could have 27 different outfits. ”

— "Rare Bird of Fashion" The Irreverent Iris Apfel.

Even the plainest outfit is transformed with an interesting piece of jewellery, or that exquisite piece could also be the cherry on a delicious, fruity, multicoloured, hot fudge, nutty ice cream sundae of an ensemble.

Iris Apfel The "Rare Bird of Fashion".

So now let's spread the jewellery rainbow! If you don't do it already, or if you have gotten out of the habit (I know my studio scruffs don't always lend themselves to "accessorising" beyond safety glasses) then let's take that extra two minutes to put on something extra, not for habit or practical reasons, but just for the sheer pleasure of choosing something you like. And if you are already a strong card carrying member of the accessories club, how about acknowledging someone else you see who has worn something just for the joy of it. 

The "Sweet Ruin Ring" is currently in the exhibition "What Is Jewellery?" at Manchester Craft and Design Centre, curated by Eve Redmond. Details HERE.

"What Is Jewellery?" Exhibition Piece No.1 Gold Cubed Ring

Jewellery is... DESIRE

Gold Cubed Ring, metal, resin, metal dust, Jade Mellor 2014

Box of pyrite specimens: A cube of cubes...

In the exhibition What Is Jewellery?" curated by Eve Redmond the purpose was to show unorthodox materials being used by artists today. This ring is made from resin, very different to jewellery traditionally created from precious metal. The piece is also inspired by another material which I use a lot in my work which is Pyrite...

"Pyrite is one of my favourite minerals, the cubic formation has always fascinated me, it looks manufactured with it's crisp metallic edges but builds naturally in this way because of it's unique structure. I love learning about the formation of our environment, triggered by unusual finds like this and researching in Manchester Museum's amazing stores of specimens. This ring is my homage to the beautiful mineral. If Fool's Gold is called so because it appears like gold, this must be (Fool's) Gold Cubed." (my description for this piece)

So with this first ring I want to explore the aspect of jewellery meaning DESIRE: To want something for how it looks, the glint of metallic catching your eye with the magpie's instinct to swoop in and fly off with these shiny treasures. 

This ring was inspired by pyrite. The sparkling mineral nicknamed "Fool's Gold" could be all about it's appearance for those who would be tricked into thinking it was the real thing. 

Five "Fool's Gold" Rings of mine,  all using real specimens of the mineral pyrite available now at Craft & Culture HERE

I am attracted to pyrite for how it looks*, it's natural facets twinkling and the smoothed areas gleaming make it a good choice for jewellery, as who doesn't want to wear something that lights up the room in such a way? However the benefits of using this mineral instead of expensive real gold is that I can manipulate it more and I am not afraid to experiment without knowing what the final outcome may be. Gold is a wonderful material to use, but it's preciousness makes it a material you plan for, savouring it, using just enough to make what you intend. Pyrite is much more available to me, this means the exciting part comes from how I can push it. I can smash it, I can grind it, I can use the BIGGEST GOLDEN CHUNKS of it for maximum impact. And when it is worn in this way, it is not showing off value and wealth in the way that a giant 24ct medallion might. It's golden glow is great, but after the wow of the initial impact, there's the head tilt and the chirrup of the curious sparrow. What IS it? How did that come to be? To realise these angular nuggets or magnificent cubes have formed in that shape by themselves as a wonder of nature, that is the thing that continues to excite me, the thing that I love, as well as desire which will never lose it's lustre. 

For some excellent insights into materials and exploring their values vs appearances and how they are being used in contemporary art jewellery today check out the latest CURRENT OBSESSION: FAKE  ISSUE. These guys are the cutting edge of what's happening right now...

The following posts will look at the other rings in the exhibition. It's been good for me to take the time to think about why use certain materials in my work. Be great to hear what you choose to make your work with! Sometimes having limits can even be the best way to be inventive...

*(call me a fool, but an honest fool)

What Is Jewellery? Exhibition at Manchester Craft & Design Centre

Very excited to join the work of some amazingly talented artists in this exhibition, hosted by Manchester Craft & Design Centre and curated by Eve Redmond. Showing during the Free For Arts Festival from the 3rd - 12th Oct. Preview starts at 3.30pm this Friday, event details HERE hope to see you there! 

Autumn Exhibition at The Biscuit Factory

So happy to be showing in this beautiful building for their Autumn Exhibition!

You will see some new some of my latest work exploring natural themes and processes. The pieces on show are all available to purchase to see in the new season of crunchy leaves and hedgerows heavy with berries. The Autumn Preview is this Friday, 12th September 6pm - 9pm. More details on their website HERE.

                                                             A new ring in the exhibition created around a quartz geode. 

                                                                    Gold Shard Bracelets, oxidised silver, resin, lustre.

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Working Outside The Box

Love these dropper bottles. Inky medicine.

 I met two really nice artists last night Ali Spechler and Mair Cook, the former from Florida and Mair from Suffolk but soon returning to Falmouth Uni. I was at the final exhibition of a residency they had undertaken in Manchester. Both took up their spaces for different reasons which was in a modern terraced house with living and studio areas. Not a particularly charming area, and slightly out of the way it got me thinking about where you find the difference between inspiration and distraction, and the benefits of entering a different space to work in. Sometimes you need to lock yourself away to get on with a project, other times the input of your environment is vital in your work. 

Selecting what you will take with you if you are working somewhere else can also be liberating. We are lucky enough to have access to so many mediums and ways to be creative, but it can actually drown us in possibilities, and hamper productivity.  

Studio space of artist in residence Mair Cook

If you're having difficulties concentrating, maybe you need to organise your space. The satisfaction alone is a great boost and often you will discover things (both physically and mentally) during the process: such as the "good" scissors you'd lost, or the final touch on a piece you were struggling with.

I'm definitely due a tidy up and plan to edit in my studio space this weekend, especially as the Open Studios where you can meet me and see my space and my work is only a week away!!! Details HERE.