In Susana Vega's wooden fine jewellery, no two pieces are alike
Susana Vega draws on a traditional goldsmithing background for a contemporary jewellery collection in wood
For Venezuelan-born, Texas-based Susana Vega, jewellery design is a continuation of the craft she witnessed in childhood. Growing up, her family’s goldsmith workshop shaped a sensual approach to design, resulting in an appreciation of materials and imperfect forms.
Moving to Houston cemented this feeling, Vega says. ‘After leaving Venezuela, design took on a much deeper meaning for me. It’s not the same to be inspired by the nature and women of your country when you’re no longer there, and when you don’t know when you’ll return. There’s a profound sense of nostalgia behind my collections, an amplified love for the places I knew, and a longing for the ones I didn’t get to experience. Even if my collections don’t explicitly reference Venezuela by name, the feeling is always there.’
It is a philosophy encapsulated in the new collection, Soto, composed of hand-crafted wooden jewellery. ‘I wanted to respect the material by keeping the forms simple, timeless, yet sculptural; creating the feeling of a small, wearable work of art,’ adds Vega. ‘This collection was a huge learning experience. I loved discovering how noble wood is; how it allows itself to be shaped, sanded, and polished, how something so raw can be transformed by hand into something refined and beautiful.’
Handcrafted in Guatemala by artisans, the jewellery celebrates the natural character of the wood, keeping the small variations in grain and form, which ensures no two pieces are alike. Its distinct character encouraged Vega to design in a new way, removing, carving and sculpting the material rather than adding to it, and embracing simpler, more organic forms. ‘Understanding that shift, and designing within the virtues and limitations of the material, was both the challenge and the beauty of the process.’
Throughout, Vega pays special attention to a sense of proportion and the golden ratio, which dictates a harmony in design. She adds: ‘Nothing is accidental; everything you see has been carefully thought through to feel balanced, beautiful, and intriguing.’
