The Style of Jewellery we create

If you have been around Eileen M long enough, you will have noticed that my favourite tool is a hammer. The jewellery we create is made using an old, old technique. People often describe our jewellery as organic, elegant, sculptural and unusual. When I first started learning how to make jewellery; I was told to create an Avocado shape from a flat sheet of copper.

My reaction?

I was given a sheet of metal, a hammer, a tree stump and 5 days. I won't bore you with the process; you know the part where I hammered my fingers and watched everyone turn in beautifully formed Avos on day 3 whilst I was starting with yet another fresh sheet of metal? 🤦‍♀️  Maybe it was the embarrassment but I have been fascinated by metal forms ever since. Their flowing nature invites the eye to linger and if well-done they refresh and invigorate. Years later I own more hammers than I care to admit and I'm besotted by a technique many have abandoned.

Unlike a stone-sculpture artist who reveals stunning shapes from a block of marble, I take a flat sheet of metal and bend it, twist it or dome it to create forms. Using hammers, steel tools and some thinking. It is not popular because it does not lend itself to quick mass production like the lost wax process and it presents a unique challenge. When working metal to create 3D shapes you find out very quickly that each metal has a breaking point. It will only bend/twist so much. So the process of making becomes less about you getting what you want from the metal and more about conducting and guiding, playing your part in a delicate dance to get the absolute form without courting disaster. Unfortunately for me, guides on how to craft this way are few and far between. Teaching myself how to create like this in Southern Africa with little to no specialised tools pushed me develop personal techniques.

There is a certain element of risk involved in not knowing exactly how the metal will turn out at the end; you could call it ‘a poetic gamble.’ I thrive on some level of uncertainty when manufacturing so it works for me. Maybe because of that initial Avo failure, I derive such joy and satisfaction from the process. We stick with it because jewellery made this way has a whimsical beauty that mass-produced cast items can never replicate.This is especially true with our one of a kind pieces and some custom made pieces.

 Custom Made Citrine and Topaz Chain

 What does this mean for you dear reader? If you enjoy out of the ordinary jewellery, pieces thoughtfully crafted then you are in the right place. All our collections are small batch, individually crafted items. A bit of the magical process spills over into each piece. The Flame Lily chains are never identical, the Msasa Gemstone earrings are so intriguing in line and curve that they invite a 2^nd glance, the Long Leaf chains made to look and feel like a leaf are a treat for bored fingers. If you enjoy gemstones and owning something that few people have then you must get one of the pieces from the One-off collection or go custom.