‘I think there is a lot of beauty to be found in looking closely at forms that might not be the most immediately obvious, paying attention to the unexpected but also seeing a familiar landscape in a new way,’ explains Sophie McKay, founder of BAR Jewellery. Looking at the smaller details within the daily movement of nature is what inspired her new ‘Horizon’ collection.
‘Some favourite [landscapes] for me range from the sweeping motion of the shoreline at the exceptionally beautiful Rhossili Bay to something as simple as creeping vines on a London street fence or handfuls of curly grass found on weekend walks in Epping Forest,’ shares the designer.
Discover BAR Jewellery's 'Horizon' collection
Sophie McKay working with wire
BAR, meaning ‘born from ambition to create responsibility’, boasts collections rooted in elegance, minimalism, and simplicity. Through this, the craftsmanship and the beauty of materiality really shines through. The ‘Horizon’ collection comprises rings and bracelets, to double rings and earrings in silver and gold plated.
Says McKay: ‘My collections tend to lead on naturally from one to the next, I actually enjoy creating to complement last season’s work, rather than trying to reinvent each time. Saying that, I do enjoy some novelty in inspiration and for this collection I drew on the vast, open landscape of Wales that I visit regularly, and where I find myself constantly admiring the horizon line. I also looked at the work of Georgia O’Keeffe and how she reduced mountains, valleys and horizon lines into extremely abstracted forms.’
Vista Ear Cuff / Ring Hybrid, gold plated
From looking at the long lines of the valleys and horizons led to longer and leaner shapes in her designs, more than what McKay has explored before, as she tells Wallpaper*, ‘I used a lot of seamless closures which are important to me, so as not to interrupt the flow of the design lines. I developed our first double rings, which flow across two fingers.’
View across Rhossili Bay in South Wales
The double ring McKay refers to is the ‘Beyond Ring’ in solid 925 recycled sterling silver, and 18ct gold plating, which captures the meditative feeling of looking beyond into the distance. The twisted texture is wound entirely by hand and wraps around and intertwines between two fingers. Comfort is also really important to McKay, and even with BAR’s biggest hoop users can barely feel them, yet enough impact to make people notice.
‘I usually let ideas develop naturally over time rather than sitting down for weeks focusing on a single concept. I once heard someone describe creativity as catching something flying past you in the wind, and that feels very true of my own process,’ says Mckay. At home, the designer often paints with watercolours with her daughter. It was while playing around with long, flowing brushstrokes McKay started thinking about valleys and mountains.
Glimpses of nature which inspired the collection
‘Once an idea begins to take shape, I’ll often sketch in the evening when things are quiet, working out the basics on paper. From there, I develop the idea in the studio, bending wire into the right form and observing it from all angles until everything finally clicks into place. The incredible artisans at the factory I collaborate with in Indonesia replicate my initial designs almost entirely by eye.’
Large Harmony earrings in silver
Working directly through wire allows McKay to create small-scale sculptures - a medium which allows her to experiment and let ideas flow organically. ‘I find that a lot of expression can be placed into the wire, there is something special in the sense that every curve and line comes from the hand of one person, capturing the moment of inspiration that made it turn in that exact way. I think that’s why it has stayed with me, it feels like play and it’s a medium that I find incredibly beautiful,’ she notes.
Gold plated, Contra Ear Cuff
McKay founded BAR after working as a fashion designer in London and Milan for luxury brands. While consulting as a freelance designer, she used her down time to slowly think of shaping a brand. Inspired by McKay’s long-standing interest in vintage jewellery I took a silversmithing course in Hatton Garden. ‘Everything clicked into place and I knew this was something that would stay with me,’ she explains. ‘From that time where I was making jewellery at my kitchen table, I still can’t quite believe I’m here 10 years later.’
As mentioned, Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings are a source of inspiration, also alongside the sculptures of Brancusi, Jose De Rivera and Barbara Hepworth. McKay also has a self-proclaimed obsession with JMW Turner, saying ‘ there is such a perfect balance of purity and drama in his work.’
McKay adds, ‘I definitely aim to leave people feeling inspired. I find my own inspiration in the calm and pure and try to make sure every piece embodies that feeling.’