Minimalist jewellery codes are epitomised in Bar Jewellery’s new collection, which traces the contours of the female form in infinite loops of sterling silver.
‘The collection is a celebration of our aesthetic codes – sculptural silhouettes and fluid, molten forms that have maximum design impact with the use of minimal material. I also drew on the work of the artists that I love and tried to capture some of the magic of their work in our own pieces,’ says Bar Jewellery founder and designer, Sophie McKay.
The women in Gustav Klimt’s paintings, with their flowing, golden hair, inspired the fluid lines of the collection, making for jewellery that coils around the ear or twirls down the neck, with traditional silhouettes such as hoops translated into playful wiggles of gold. In other pieces, Sakiyama Takayuki’s free-flowing sculptures are rethought as oscillating ear cuffs in seemingly never-ending swirls of metal.
‘I think the best way to achieve a fluid shape in any art form, whether drawing, sculpting or creating jewellery, is to allow the process to be fluid too,’ McKay adds. ‘The motion of the hand as you form the piece needs to be free, impulsive and light. In that way, I don’t find it challenging to create fluid forms. I always ensure that the pieces are not overworked, as I think this helps to achieve the purest designs, which also capture something of the soul of the designer.’
McKay experiments with metal wire when creating the undulating forms, letting its flexibility lead the organic design. ‘I play with wire without expectation of what the final form will be, and it’s then that I form the most unique and beautiful shapes. I work quickly and stop when I have created a shape that is beautiful but also has something unique about it, be it a curve or bend that is slightly awkward or unexpected.’
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