The Perception of Luxury

Description

With the pieces I make, I like to comment on the value society puts on jewelry and the certain materials that it is made with. My inspiration stems from a place of internalized value, memories I have made with a loved one ? my grandmother. Though my grandmother has passed on, her influences will be forever with me in the interests we shared and visualized through the work I make. In such work, I explore the concept of luxury and how one can create it and value, both implied and perceived. By using the basic shapes of that which we admire, faceted gemstones, I then abstract these inspirations to create a new, yet familiar, form. The pieces of jewelry I make are inspired by a bygone era and a glamour that is no longer indulged in in everyday life. My grandmother instilled in me a value for the finer things in life, and the know-how of when to satisfy these luxurious urges. I believe that the pieces I make have a place in my life and would ultimately have a place in hers, even if that place was in a display case. Due to the nature of my pieces, the act of wearing them is not a necessity to their existence; the mere act of appreciation is all that is to be desired upon gazing them; a lesson my grandmother taught me.