Beauty in Nature.

We are surrounded by beauty. Combining line, texture, shape, colour and form can lead us to make beautiful and meaning full jewellery. Heather Roblin is a jewellery designer, she is inspired by the beauty of nature. In figure 1, it's a finger with a silver finger cap with nails. In each fingernail, there are leaves growing on top. The leaves look like they grow every day. If you look carefully you can see the texture of human skin in each nail. Whereas in figure2, it a hand wrapped with flowers and it looks like nail glove. Collette Stubbings used different flowers in beautiful colours. She was inspired by the beauty of a garden. She wrapped her arm with flower petals and used a spool of thread to wrap them as tightly. On the fingertips, I like the way she wrapped the nails with that red flower and it looks like a stiletto nail shape.

Figure 1-Heather Roblin, modern ancient jewellery.

http://www.likecool.com/Modern_ancient_jewelry_by_Heather_Roblin--Jewelry--Style.html

Figure 2- Colette Stubbings, Wrapping my finger in petals.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8map6Vo7EP/

          

Interpretation of my nice piece jewelry (brief).

I'll be making a nice piece of jewellery and the jewellery needs to look pretty. The piece can be an earring, brooch, ring, bangle and necklace. I have to make a meaning full jewellery piece. I have to explain; who can wear my piece, what does it symbolise and why do I think its pretty. I'm aiming to use mixed material. I have to surround my self with the things that can lead me, to make my nice jewellery. As I will be designing my piece on my visual journal, I will show all my idea and my design developments. On my jewellery piece, I want to combine nails shape and geometric shapes. In the picture's below, I was playing with elements of art.

Drawings

Sishi, L, (2020) Earring with a coffin nail shape and beads.

Sishi, L, (2020) Earring with the stiletto shapes.

Sishi, L, (2020) Bracelet with almond nail shape.

Topic explanation (Beauty)

Beauty is the value of truth and goodness. Beauty refers to the interaction between line, colour, texture, sound, shape and the size that pleasing to the senses. I will be looking at shape, colour and form as the elements of art. I will be making contemporary jewellery inspired by fingernail art and I'll be using nails shapes to make my jewellery.

I'm exploring the beauty of nail art. I learn new things about nails each and every day. Muslim female, are not allowed to have nails polish in their hand because of their daily prayers. Making fingernail rings it going to accommodate each and every Muslim female because it's easy to take off the ring, rather than removing nail polish every day. 

Figure-1 Sishi, L,(2020) Nails shapes

As a nail technician, my aim was to make fingernail rings. As I was busy doing my research, I ended up choosing nails shapes to make my jewellery. In (figure 1), I have different types of nails shapes; I have a square nail, almond nail, ballerina nail, coffin nail and stiletto nail shape. Filing is very important when you shape the nails. I have been using plastic nails,  and I fund it easy to shape plastic nail. Now I'm trying to make nails in metal. I'm trying to use nails shapes to make earrings, necklace, bangles, brooch and rings.

Figure-2 Taffinje, earrings
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt6FKkPg562/ 

In figure 2, I have a picture with two pair of earrings and these earrings are made up of precious and non-precious material. Taffin used two elements of art, which is shape and colour. On the round shape, he used white stone and the stone is called ice stone. I like the way he plays with the colours of the stones. On the teardrop shape, which looks like a stiletto shape, he used amber stone.

Acrylic gel earrings

The time I was making my earring prototype, I used my extra etching plate with patterns of henna design. My aim was to try something new, by combining two shapes. In the half-round circle plate, I use acrylic gel to add colour on. I mixed Oliver green and white to create a marble design. I use a stiletto nail shape. I dome it on the block to form my nail 3-Dimensional shape. On the nail shape if you can look carefully there are patterns of roses. If you look at the pattern that is on the nail, it looks like you can feel it when you can physically touch it, whereas it is very smooth, because I use gel top coat to cover up the texture to make it smooth and shiny.

Sishi, L,(2020) Earring with Acrylic gel.

Precious materials

Precious materials are natural and they very rare to find. They have a high market value. Gold, platinum, silver, and palladium are primary precious metals. It is very difficult to find these materials in the industrial and you need to have a licence or permission to use these precious materials. All these precious materials melt in deferent temperature.

Contemporary jewellers have been making jewellery from precious materials because it has been valued, basically as a status symbol and for investment. Gold and silver, are malleable they easily formed by hand. Gold has a wide range of colours; yellow, white and rose gold. Nowadays people don't buy expensive jewellery, they just buy what they can afford at that time; because jewellers can gold plate the jewellery only the hallmark can identify the material. Using two or more precious materials can make jewellery look more decorative; because of the colour. Platinum has now become a valued precious material and we use it for scientific purpose. The jewellery that is made with precious material is always protected.

Figure.1- Jacqueline Mina, brooch

http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/sgall-assets/artist_pdf/Jacqueline_Mina_Touching_Gold_August_2011_catalogue.pdf

Jacqueline Mina is one of the artists, who make contemporary jewellery that is related to the one that I'm doing. She uses different effects from her materials which involves fusion. She was inspired by the patterns of Devore fabric. I want to explore colour, shape, texture and form. She is my reference artist. I will be looking at, nail art and nails shape to make my jewellery. I will make my jewellery look more different from Jacqueline because I will be using nails shape to make my jewellery piece. I'll be looking at art deco and henna design, as my original reference. As you can see on (fig.1) Jacqueline Mina made a brooch with beautiful colour and patterns. I like the way she arranges the shapes, the shape in the bottom looks like stiletto nail shape that is bellow on (fig.2).

Figure.2- stiletto nail with crystal

https://www.wantitall.co.za/beauty/extremely-long-pink-stiletto-nails-false-nail-diy-3d-shiny-press-on-fake-nails-finished-handmade-bli__b07zx6kxtf

Beauty

Beauty is the ascription of the property of the equality by combining interaction between line, colour, texture and shapes. Combining these elements as a designer, you end up having a beautiful piece of jewellery. As I'm looking in beauty, I will be exploring the beauty of fingernail art, by being decorative. The jewellery that I'll be focusing on, is inspired by the beauty of nail art. I will be using different lines by drawing nails shapes. As I'm looking in the beauty of fingernail art, I'll be using the nails shapes, to make jewellery forms like earrings, bracelet, bangles, rings, brooch and necklace.

Colour can aesthetic with beauty, nature and taste. In beauty, colour plays a big role. On my contemporary jewellery that is inspired by the beauty of nail art. I will be using primary colours, secondary colours and complementary colours to make my jewellery look more beautiful and more meaningful. I will be using mixed materials because I want to reveal the beauty of nail art, by combining non-precious and precious material. 

If you look at figure 1, it a geometric silver ring and the ring look like it has the repetition of stiletto nail shape that in (fig 2).

     

Figure 1- Cheryl Eve Acosta, silver ring
http://www.artnersgallery.com/savila-ring/ 

Figure 2- stiletto nail shape

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/569072102891156896/

  

Non precious materials

Non-precious materials are cheap materials like paper, glass, fabric, copper, aluminium mixed media and recycled materials and these materials are not new in history. Art jewellery adopts natural non-precious. In nowadays non-precious materials are mostly used and it easy to get them in the store or you just recycle. Most of the jewellery that we see in the street is also made from cheap material.
The generation of the 60s and 70s were stridently modern simplicity and truth to materials because their cheap material learnt themself well to a point where they free to express themself by making any kind of jewellery. I like the way all the designs who use non-precious tend to come up with jewellery that pleases everyone eye. Peter Chang use non-precious materials to make his jewellery. In (fig 1) it a bracelet, that is made up of acrylic and polyester. Peter Chang used hints of patterns and curvaceous rhythms derived from sea creatures; I like the way he mixed primary and secondary colours it makes the bracelet look more colourful.

Figure 1 -Peter Chang, bracelet

https://za.pinterest.com/pin/360639882632989198/?autologin=true 

In my contemporary jewellery that is inspired by the beauty of nail art, I will be using non-precious and precious materials. Peter Chang's work relates to my work because his work is colourful, has patterns and form. In my jewellery, I will be using acrylic gel to add colour and patterns. I will be transforming plastic nail shape into the jewellery forms like earrings, rings, bracelet, brooch and pendant.

Exploring the colour

In figure 1, below I used a straight and curved line to draw different shapes of nails, that I always do to my clients when they want to get their nails done. My idea was to make these nails in metal because I have never seen nails that are made in metal.

Figure 1- Nails shapes

In Figure 2, below its a copper plate, I pierced 2-dimensional shapes of nails. The left-hand side, it a coffin shape and on the right-hand side it a stiletto shape. They both look flat, my aim was to make them look like a three-dimensional shape.

Figure 2- Nails shapes in copper plate

In figure 3, I used a doming block to cover the shape of the nail to look like a 3D shape whereas in (fig2) it looks like a flat piece.

Figure 3- domed coffin nail shape

The nail in (fig 3), looks simply because it had no colour. It is just plain domed metal, whereas I wanted them to look realistic. The aim was to add colour on the nails then, I decided to use opaque enamel colours. In figure 4 each nail has two shades of colours, I was trying to do an ombre style by combining primary and secondary colours.

Figure 4- Nails with enamelling 

My working space

I have pinned up my ideas on my thinking space. I was playing with several colours by using opaque enamel and I found it easy to work with enamelling. I also used acrylic gel to decorate the nails. On the right-hand side, there is a list of technique that I'm looking forward to exploring. At the moment I'm busy working with earthenware clay and trying to make earrings by combining precious and non-precious materials. 

Mixed materials

When I was reading the VGCJ paper of mixed material I understand that mixed material it's to combine precious and non-precious material. The jewellery value can be strongly influenced by the handling of the material because the value of precious material can be expansive whereas non-precious material is cheap.

Combining precious and non-precious materials can lead an artist to create jewellery that pleases everyone eye. People can be interested in buying your work and some would like to know more about the skills that you applied. As an artist, the skills that we use can transform the humblest of materials and reveal beauty where it has not been seen.

The work of  Giampaolo Babetto can relate in my artwork because he uses colour, shape and texture. He often combines precious metal with red pigment as in this bracelet (fig.4). Babetton intention of using uniform pigment is to intrigue and attract, especially when the bracelet is worn the colour reflect against the wearer's arm. I'm exploring the beauty of nail art in jewellery, I also want to make rings with nails and add colour on, so that it can reflect on the finger of the wearer.   

Fig 4, Bracelet, Giampaolo Babetto 

   

Etching

In figure 1 below, it's copper plate that was extra with my etched design that I made last year, 2019. This plate has patterns of mehndi design that was my reference; I decided to use this plate to cut different shapes. I pierced different nails shapes (figure 2), my aim was to add colour on the nails. As you can see in figure 3 I used transparent enamel instead of nail polish because I wanted to try something new that I had never done before. I found it difficult to use enamel because the power did not set on the edges of my the plate and the problem was I over domed my metal unevenly; that is why it did not set properly.    

Figure 1- Copper plate with etching texture

Figure 2- Nails shape with etching patterns.

Figure 3- Transparent Enameling in etching plate.