Personalised Jewellery

Rolf Sachs’ Strip Bracelet

This piece is presented as a strip of sheet silver, the hallmark its only distinguishing feature. Initially it seems unclear how the piece could be considered jewellery. However Sachs’ sensitive consideration of the owner’s personal identity allows a transformation from a simple strip of metal into a bracelet based on the individuals connection to and manipulation of the silver. Sachs completes the transition from jewel to jewellery by allowing the owner to have a hand in its formation, thereby creating a relationship and a history which is individual to each edition of the piece.

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I recently wrote this as part of a critical review I submitted for part of my coursework. The review itself was on a jewellery design book called New Directions in Jewellery II, which I love, but argued about the concept of jewellery-to-be in the context of the book. Jewellery-to-be being a concept of designer Lin Cheung, that jewellery is merely an object unless it is worn. This is a concept I actually agree with to a degree. 

However, I've been thinking about Sachs' Bracelet since I got up this morning. If anything this is exactly the idea I'm trying to get into my project when I am working with my participants. To gain a relationship with a piece of jewellery or any wearable product, the user must take some role in its creation even on the most minuet of levels. It is also a good example of what I need to mention next week also. So possibly that's why it's playing on my mind.

Incidentally I got a very good mark for my essay, so I'm glad I argued in it rather than being overly agreeing with the concept.