The Contemporary Jewellery Exchange 2014

I have recently taken part in The Jewelry Exchange 2014 exhibition, created by Olga Raben, with 370 artists, world wide, where each person was paired with another artist and tasked to create a contemporary piece of jewellery for each other.

I was paired with Kristen Albrecht, a designer maker, based in the USA. We each created a necklace using a variety of techniques and this is how it turned out...

Jewellery exchange between Stephanie Orman and Kristen Albrecht.

Page from the book The Contemporary Jewellery Exchange 2014 featuring Stephanie Orman and Kristen Albrecht. 

It was a great experience being part of this international expression of creativity and seeing how different everyone's interpretation turned out.

Kristen's piece was made from steel and silver, gaining inspiration from the wide use of steel in the workshop in tool form and transforming this into a piece of jewellery. I particularly like the use of movement within the piece.

Below is a photograph of what I created for The Contemporary Jewelry Exhibition 2014. I used a mixture of materials to create the piece including glazed porcelain, silver, copper and enamel.

Contemporary Necklace designed and made by Stephanie Orman
Glazed porcelain, silver, copper and enamel.

I really love how this piece was formed. I used inspiration from the street environment around me and found myself interested in the grids on the pavements and roads that we walk over every day. I combined this with the organic, natural environment such as seeds and pods that can be found everywhere. Sometimes the man-made grids had even been taken over by natural organic growth, and hence the jewellery collection started.

If you would like a piece of unique contemporary jewellery made for you then please get in contact by visiting the facebook page Stephanie Orman Jewellery and send a private message.

Thank you for reading.

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Natures Hidden Treasures An Exploration

So this marks the start of  a new project which will also be my final project marking the end of my jewellery and applied arts foundation degree.

I am planning to focus the project on some of the areas that I find interesting and that will also challenge me as an artist. Colour and texture will be a major focus for research and sample making which has been something I have shied away from when creating final products in previous projects. The theme will be based upon seed pods in nature as they really intrigue me with all the hidden seeds they hold and the surface textures and colours.

I have added a few photographs of some of the experimentation that I have done so far with much more experimentation to follow.

Make sure to pop back soon and see how things are developing and feel free to follow and like my facebook page Stephanie Orman Jewellery for regular updates too

A photograph of quick sketches of cocoa seed pod shapes from my sketchbook.
Paint and ink was used together to create the detail after using a handmade stamp.
Stephanie Orman.

A photograph of quick sketches of cocoa seed pod shapes from my sketchbook.
Paint and masking fluid was used together to create the detail and then rubbed away.
Stephanie Orman.

A photograph of quick sketches of cocoa seed pod shapes from my sketchbook.
Paint and ink was used together to create the detail on top of thick card that was cut into shape.
Stephanie Orman.

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Porcelain Cones

Pitt Rivers Jewellery Collection

From the Pitt rivers collection the fighting rings, cuffs and armoury stood out the most for inspirational purposes. I loves the different shapes and forms that were used however the actual fighting element I was less concerned with as this did not interest me. 

I began looking more about how the pieces interacted with the body and how they fitted. Metal wrapped about the body in different ways created a lovely effect and so the experimentation began...

Forming rings and elongating spirals to see their form and what is created by altering the techniques slightly.

Above are two rings produced from inspiration of the hook rings from the Pitt Rivers Museum trip to Oxford. I have added stitch to the second ring which adds a hint of fragility to the otherwise strong statement outlandish ring.

Again these rings are based on the hook ring with the overall look of the ring changed ever so slightly to create another look.

The two fingered ring above is more comfortable than I ever thought that it would be. The comfort ability of a ring or even piece of jewellery has been one of the key features of this project. If it is not comfortable to wear then I would not wear it and therefore would not expect anyone else to either. I really love the simplicity of the second ring in the above picture this I made in sterling silver.

These knuckle rings are made in aluminium as mock ups of the final two fingered knuckle rings. The are so easy to wear and have been made in a way where you could quite easily type away on the computer and forget that you even have rings on your fingers. The stretch over the back of your hand therefore you do not need to worry that they will not fit the width of your hand.

Below is another two fingered ring that I have laser cut from black perspex. This is so light and easy to wear and just one of those lovely experiments in jewellery making.

The above S.O. ring has been forged from copper and lacquered black to give a matt-effect. I have also handmade this knuckle two finger ring in sterling silver and left with either a shiny or matt-look and also oxidised black for an alternative look. This ring would fit any hand.

Contemporary Forged Clear Perspex Ring Handmade By Stephanie Orman

This is a huge statement ring forged from perspex to create a completely unique ring. There is not another ring like this one and once it has gone that is it. It looks like a beautiful ice sculpture for the hand.

Contemporary Forged Clear Perspex Ring Handmade By Stephanie Orman

These selection of perspex rings were a great experimentation that ended in creating a lovely collection of contemporary handmade jewellery in perspex. They not only look great on the hand but also feel great.

Below is another ring straight out of my sketchbook and into reality. It is made from sterling silver and has a unique silver knot delicately placed on the top.

Contemporary Sterling Silver Knot Ring Handmade By Stephanie Orman

I have taken the above ring and also created matching earrings that have been left as shiny silver but also a set of oxidised earrings and ring to match.

Again more photographs of my S.O. two finger knuckle rings. I just love the simplistic lines of the rings and how comfortable they are to wear. A definite statement when worn.

Contemporary S.O. Knuckle Ring Handmade By Stephanie Orman

Making these collections of jewellery has been really enjoyable. I have got lots more ideas to taking this range further and for creating new ranges.

The jewellery collection has also been exhibited at Franny & Filer in Chorlton, Manchester through June & July 2012.

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Pitt Rivers Visit & Jewellery Outcome

For the final project of the year on my Jewellery and Applied Arts course based in Manchester we had a trip to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. I had never been to this museum but oh was I glad that I did. The museum contains the most amazing artefacts from armoury to vases to jewellery to instruments. There are three floors in total, each with different sections of artefacts. If you have never been to the Pitt Rivers Museum then I advise that you go but be warned one day is not enough, you will need about a week to see everything!

So for my starting point for this short end of year jewellery project I began sketching the artefacts and taking notes about the pieces. I also took a huge amount of photographs of the Pitt Rivers collection so that I could refer to them at a later date. Below are just a few to give a small taster of what is there.

Pitt River Museum, Oxford, England, UK.  Photographs by Stephanie Orman

I was really taken with the fighting cuffs, rings and general armoury because of their interesting shapes and how they were attached to the body.

Pitt River Museum, Oxford, England, UK.  Photographs by Stephanie Orman

Pitt River Museum, Oxford, England, UK.  Photographs by Stephanie Orman

 These statues and totoem poles were magnificent too.

Pitt River Museum, Oxford, England, UK.  Photographs by Stephanie Orman

So from this visit to Pitt Rivers Museum a collection of jewellery was made based on what was seen. See the next blog post to see what handmade jewellery was made.

Pitt River Museum, Oxford, England, UK.  Photographs by Stephanie Orman

Pitt River Museum, Oxford, England, UK.  Photographs by Stephanie Orman

Pitt River Museum, Oxford, England, UK.  Photographs by Stephanie Orman

Pitt River Museum, Oxford, England, UK.  Photographs by Stephanie Orman

Unit 3 Final Outcome

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Acrylic Sheet Contemporary Jewellery

I have been working very hard on creating my next piece of contemporary jewellery whilst learning a wide variety of new jewellery making techniques. Below I have added a photograph of my final outcome.

Acrylic sheet and chain.

It was based on the fountains found in Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre.

I thourghly enjoyed creating this piece of jewellery and look forward to further honing my skills to create other pieces!


Stephie