More than meets the eye - Narrative jewelry by Sarah Joyce

What makes a piece of jewelry valuable to us?

The worth of its diamonds?

The superior craftsmanship?

The artist signature?

While all the above certainly contribute to its value, it is my personal belief, that the piece of jewelry we never want to take off - is the one with which we made a personal, intimate connection. 
Whether it reminds us of a person, a place or a time that is dear to us - this necklace or brooch tells a story that strikes a chord in our heart.

Black Jet Victorian Mourning Buttons and original thread..with initials

As an art history and visual arts major, Sarah Joyce has a deep understanding of the world that hides behind the aesthetics of an art piece.

Taking a course called ‘conservation of antiquities’ channeled her attraction to historic figures and their stories, into a career dedicated to saving fragile, vulnerable objects.

After years of working in museums, galleries and conservation projects around the world, Sarah went beyond saving other people’s art, and started to create jewelry.

“I actually began making found object jewelry in 1987.  I was in a few exhibitions, and there was interest in my work…but it wasn't the right time for me.   I was working full time at a very demanding job and I found it difficult to sustain a creative practice.  But the thread of Poultice Jewellery is definitely connected to that early work…and extends back to my earliest interest in saving and recombining fragile, vulnerable objects.  I began operating under 'Poultice' in 2009”

The model Ashley wearing Navdanya

Sarah’s creating process starts with research and the discovery of people’s stories, here is an example:

“Let me tell you about Lodore, Rescue Chatelaine.  Lodore was the result of my obsession with the story of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.   I had been reading every biography I could and was making  pieces about Mary and Percy Shelley the poet.   I began reading letters between Mary, her family and friends, including some from her mother the amazing Mary Wollstonecraft.   I kept coming across little snippets of information about a half-sister Fanny.

 I went in search of Fanny…who has been largely forgotten in this very famous, creative and emotional family.  When Mary ran away Fanny became very depressed and committed suicide at the age of 22, right at the time Mary was nearing the end of her famous book.  It became very important to me to understand what drove Fanny to take this terrible step. The more I read, the more I began to understand how she must have felt; abandoned, helpless, without hope.  This is how Lodore began; me searching for a vulnerable, lost soul.”

Only after the pieces of the stories came together, does the jewelry creation begin.   

“I use certain elements again and again as a recurring material language.  For example a white Victorian button always means domesticity or 'women's' roles. In the case of Lodore the role of domesticity (and the white button) take on a darker meaning.  I've combined it with a hookedforktang…I think it looks a bit like a claw.  I needed a way for Fanny to dig holes so the seeds I have included in the bottle could flower (because she never had the chance). I'm not sure how I arrived at a claw…but it seemed right…and the shape of it feels a bit desperate.  

Lodore, Rescue Chatelaine with the bitten gold heart

Lodore had been sitting on my studio table for some time…I couldn't find a way to finish it.   I kept changing the elements….but nothing seemed quite right.    I was living on a gulf island at the time and a friend told me that an old house was being torn down and they were going to have a big bonfire. The next day he arrived with a box…in it were the most amazing old finds. Delicate Victorian jet beads, other bits and pieces and a little gold heart.  It was obviously a child's necklace…with a delicate gold thread chain.  The heart was covered in tiny bites right into the soft gold.  I imagine from a child teething…I knew immediately it connected with Fanny as a little girl.   I recalled Fanny's mother had written about baby Fanny biting her as she nursed. This letter opened a window to an intimate and tender moment between a mother and child.  So…the bitten heart became Fanny's… connecting herback to her mother…the wonderful Marry Wollstonecraft who died when Fanny was 3 years old.    

Fanny was also a writer…of letters.  She wrote with feeling...and her sweet character jumps off the page. I always use pen nibs to represent writers.   I knew she deserved a pen nib. This nib is bound tightly…as Fanny was bound.  When poor Fanny was found in a hotel room in Wales, she was wearing her Mother's corset.  This was so meaningful to me...I began to do an awful lot of research on corsets of the time.  I worked out how old the corset must be…and tried to find instances of her mother mentioning a corset.  The construction of the corset-like form around the bottle has the appearance of being locked…though I have added a little jewelled hinge…but I've also added a partial key.  There always has to be a key to desperate situations.  The whole necklace refers to the domestic Chatelaines women wore around their waists.  So that is how Lodore came to be! “

Every one of Sarah’s pieces is accompanied by a card that tells the piece’s story. 

“I create a card containing the narrative. On the front is a unique collaged image that relates to the piece of jewelry. Because they are one-off cards I just go to our trusty printer and have a couple printed at a time.  One card stays with me, one goes with the piece of jewelery. “ 

A narrative card for Endymion

In a world filled with mass produced jewelry, where every piece is exactly what meets the eye – how wonderful is to find pieces of wearable art, that beyond adorning our favorite dress also expand our world intellectually and emotionally?

The pen nib with burned wings used in the piece 'Caged'

Why would someone spend days, weeks or perhaps months creating one of a kind pieces rather than go for a more commercial approach?

“I am happiest when I am being creative.   I prefer being inspired by objects that have past lives and histories, rather than creating new objects.

I enjoy creating pieces about women in history who have faced challenging times. Women who are creative and wear their humanity on their sleeve.  I have a soft spot for the late 18th and early 19th century. I love to immerse myself in this world.  I try to make my pieces intelligent, unconventional…suggestive of something quite magical in the use of combined materials.

Spanish Steps (Angels), a labour-intensive piece.

My approach probably does come at a bit of a price. I work slowly, so my monetary return is probably lower than someone who makes multiples.  Although some pieces come together faster than others…very few of the pieces come together quickly.  The conceptual stage (reading, research) takes a long time.  But research is also a great love.... so I'm quite happy doing it. I do feel I am making art.  I choose to work this way because this whole process I have developed engages me in a very deep way. Every new piece I work on becomes a completely new creative challenge.   The process combines my favorite areas of interest - historic research, writing stories, searching for and combining found objects, telling stories. I don't create with any specific audience in mind …unless I'm doing a commission.  I want to create work that is meaningful for me and then I hope others will like it too.”

Sarah in her studio

As someone who started creating  jewelry just a couple of years ago, Sarah’s voice is an inspiration to me. An acknowledgement that it is perfectly OK not to go with the general design wisdom of selecting your audience and only creating what they want. It is OK to create work that is meaningful to me – and to hope, maybe even actively look for :) people that will like it too.

Thank you Sarah, for inspiring me, and maybe others as well.

I am sure you would like to see more of Sarah work:

Here are links to her Facebook page and her web site,

Facebook Page 

Web Site

Until next time,
Amy

Want to find the perfect jewelry gift, but no idea what you are looking for? Here are 5 steps that will help you

A nice gift is one that elicits an 'Oh, it's beautiful, thank you' reaction.

The perfect gift, stirs emotions, conveys a personal message, makes someone feel loved and special.

And, here you are, ready to invest your time, effort and money in finding the perfect jewelry gift.

There is just a tiny bit of a problem -
you have no idea what are you looking for.

Put on your thinking cap, and let's get started.

Step one - Animal lover, gardener or book worm?

You actually know the person you want to buy the gift for, right?

What does she love or love to do?

Does she love nature? Flowers? A weakness for English roses perhaps?

Ancient history (like my husband), chess or science fiction?
Architecture? Modern Art?

You got the point, don't you?
Finding a piece of jewelry that invokes images of something we love, creates an instant emotional connection as well as shows someone was really thinking of US, not just on buying a standard gift.

A 14k rose gold ring, with an old English scroll motif
might be a perfect gift for English roses addicts by Mauidivers

A nature lover? Maybe something inspired by the forest, just starting to change colors in the fall.
This is a triple strand Garnet and Tourmaline necklace I made, inspired by autumn colors in my garden.

Step number 2: New grandma or 10th anniversary? 

What exactly are you celebrating?

Is this an event: birthday, wedding anniversary, graduation?

A moment you want to create or to remember?

Becoming a new mom, grandma?

There are plenty of symbols you can tap into, once you look at the reason for celebrating.

Birthstones are a much loved way to personalize a jewelry piece. Every month has its own gemstone (actually more than one as there are the old and modern gemstones associated with each month)

Aquamarine, March birthstones. And if she loves the sea - so much the better!

...and why not combine a birthstone with something she really loves?

Are you looking for a ring for a cat lover born in September?

Just look at that adorable Rag doll cat ring in 14k gold and sapphire eyes by pets jewelry.

Less known that birthstones, anniversaries have their own gemstone lists.

Most semiprecious gems have specific qualities associated with them. 

Foe example, Rose Quartz is famous for attracting and keeping love, and can be a great choice when you want to convey a comforting message.

Is there a moment or experience you want to remember?

Take a look at my previous blog post 'A-ring-with-a-story' to see how a moment can be captured by a piece of jewelry - in this case a ring.

Step 3: Something old and something new

Is this the right time for a heritage piece?

I have a ring that is in our family for 3 generations.

My grandma got it from her mother in law when she got engaged, and passed it to my mom when she got engaged to my father.

My mom gave me this ring a few years ago, and needless to say it is very precious to me and I intend to pass it to my future daughter in law when the time will come.

A gift with a heritage can take many shapes and forms.

It can be a piece of jewelry you pass on, but it can be a completely new jewelry made from old pieces you have.

Do you have any pearl necklace that is sitting for years in your jewelry box? A string of beads that was torn long time ago? A single surviving earring?

Each one of these long forgotten pieces can be the starting point for a new and fresh jewelry piece that would mean the world to your daughter or granddaughter.

As an example. I created this delicate silver lariat out of a vintage coral bead necklace my mom gave me - 'as she would not wear it anymore'.

I reuse a few coral beads, added the carved ivory roses, a silver chain and clasp - and created a completely different look.

Step 4: Made especially for you

Make the piece really personal.

Engrave a meaningful world - maybe one only you two know the real meaning.

Select a clasp that has your initials on it, symbolizing by its very function the connection between you two.

An unusual way to personalize a message is to spell a word or a name using gemstones.

This is called 'Acrostic jewelry', and was very popular in the Victorian Era.

Each alphabet letter was represented by a gemstone (usually one whose name starts with this letter), and these gemstones were used to spell words.

A 15k gold antique ring dated July 1821, spelling the word 'regard'
with Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby and Diamond 

After you went through these four steps, you probably have a much better idea what are you really looking for.

Now is the time for the last step

Step 5: Let's be practical

Ring, brooch, necklace, earrings? 

If she does not wear earrings - maybe this is not a great choice for a gift.

Rings have implications to them - would it fit the occasion? Sometime the answer is a resounding YES,

sometimes - a necklace or a bracelet would be more appropriate.

Restrict your choices - remove the options that do not make sense.

Ready made or custom order? Or maybe something in the middle. 

Maybe you searched the web for a 'Nature inspired pendant' and found in ETSY just the right one - but you want to personalize it with her birthstone, or an engraved message.

Red wine necklace 14k gold and rubies, perfect
for an anniversary gift, especially for wine lovers
born in July (Ruby) or April (diamonds)
ring by sterlingwineonline

Now that you REALLY know what you want - 

Go search on the internet, or visit your favorite goldsmith

and find that special piece that will make someone very very happy.

This is an introductory post to a topic that fascinates me - jewelry as means to convey messages, and I would really want to hear what you think.

What other ways are there to select meaningful jewelry pieces?

Would you like to learn more about any of the topics mentioned in this post (birthstones, anniversary stones, acrostic jewelry...)?

Just comment and let me know.

And of course, if you are not registered yet - 

leave me your email and you will not miss any post!

See you next time,

Amy