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01 Jewels/
Breaking the Waves
“The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea.” – Vladimir Nabokov (The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, 1941)
Story
The Breaking the Waves jewels are literally and figuratively born from the North Sea – the ominous backdrop of the eponymous von Trier masterpiece. For me, this wild sea and its seafront evoke a deep sense of awe, respect and absolute freedom, just like rugged mountain landscapes!
Of all the things I make, these jewels are the most labour-intensive and the most romantic to make. They start out with long walks on the beach to find cuttlebones – the internal shells of cuttlefish, marine mollusks related to the squid and octopus. Then follows the cleaning, cutting and drying of the bones before moulding, casting and fabricating.
The ossa sepia (or ‘sea foam’ in colloquial Dutch) wash up on the beach after the cuttlefish perish, especially after a storm. They have unique patterns, just like fingerprints, that leave a beautiful texture on the surface of silver or gold cast in the moulded cuttlebones: breaking waves with ripple effect.
In this series, I combine traditional forms, an ancient technique, and old material to create new, one-of-a-kind, not-quite-traditional jewels, metaphorically breaking the waves.
Form
Mostly classic forms like bombé, cigar band, stack and wedding rings, link bracelets, hoop and stud earrings, with an unclassic texture.
Technique
I cast molten silver or gold into carefully carved moulds in cuttlebones collected from my local beach. Because the cuttlebones burn during the casting process, each piece of jewellery is one of a kind with a wavy texture like a ‘fingerprint of the sea’. For further fabrication, I use traditional tools like a saw, file, hammer and mandrel to form the pieces and a handheld torch to solder when necessary.
Material
Reprocessed silver or gold from old or damaged jewellery, coins or cutlery, provided by my clients or donated by friends and supporters.
“What is lovely never dies, but passes into other loveliness, Star-dust, or sea-foam, flower or winged air.” – Thomas Bailey Aldrich (A Shadow of the Night, 1895)
01 Jewels/
Breaking the Waves
“The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea.” – Vladimir Nabokov (The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, 1941)
Story
The Breaking the Waves jewels are literally and figuratively born from the North Sea – the ominous backdrop of the eponymous von Trier masterpiece. For me, this wild sea and its seafront evoke a deep sense of awe, respect and absolute freedom, just like rugged mountain landscapes!
Of all the things I make, these jewels are the most labour-intensive and the most romantic to make. They start out with long walks on the beach to find cuttlebones – the internal shells of cuttlefish, marine mollusks related to the squid and octopus. Then follows the cleaning, cutting and drying of the bones before moulding, casting and fabricating.
The ossa sepia (or ‘sea foam’ in colloquial Dutch) wash up on the beach after the cuttlefish perish, especially after a storm. They have unique patterns, just like fingerprints, that leave a beautiful texture on the surface of silver or gold cast in the moulded cuttlebones: breaking waves with ripple effect.
In this series, I combine traditional forms, an ancient technique, and old material to create new, one-of-a-kind, not-quite-traditional jewels, metaphorically breaking the waves.
Form
Mostly classic forms like bombé, cigar band, stack and wedding rings, link bracelets, hoop and stud earrings, with an unclassic texture.
Technique
I cast molten silver or gold into carefully carved moulds in cuttlebones collected from my local beach. Because the cuttlebones burn during the casting process, each piece of jewellery is one of a kind with a wavy texture like a ‘fingerprint of the sea’. For further fabrication, I use traditional tools like a saw, file, hammer and mandrel to form the pieces and a handheld torch to solder when necessary.
Material
Reprocessed silver or gold from old or damaged jewellery, coins or cutlery, provided by my clients or donated by friends and supporters.
“What is lovely never dies, but passes into other loveliness, Star-dust, or sea-foam, flower or winged air.” – Thomas Bailey Aldrich (A Shadow of the Night, 1895)
01 Jewels/
