Earlier this year contemporary jeweller Grace Yu Piper presented at Schmuck – ‘the’ annual event for goldsmiths and jewellery designers.
Grace says she saw some beautiful, well considered and very refined work, but the huge quantity of jewellery on display made it hard to take it all in. ‘Being exposed to such an overload of information and multiple perspectives has forced me to look closely at my own practice. I have been thinking about what is important to me and how I want to present myself, especially in a more global context.’
Her pieces for Schmuck explore the functionality of jewellery. ‘I took the practical, often overlooked aspect of the clasp and turned it into the focal point. Each piece is made up of two halves that slot into each other to become one. I very much enjoy this tactile interaction and hope the wearer engages with it in a similar way.’
Stone is her material of choice. ‘I enjoy the slow pace and meditative aspects of carving. Each piece has to be thought about methodically and calculated – carving is a reductive process so all decisions made are final. Stone has a connection to nature and to place. It is a slow material that counteracts the fast paced and disposable world that we live in.’
First published ArtZone #79