Jewellery: An everyday ritual

To me jewellery design is a personal intimate experience, it is much more then deciding what necklace goes with which top or of viewing a collection of inanimate objects labeled jewellery in a gallery space. Jewellery design for me is about the relationship between the jewellery and the wearer, it is a live process which captures my imagination and broadens the whole definition of what jewellery is. With this in mind, I spent my MA year studying ‘Three Dimensional Design’ and developed my ideas to research creative solutions in jewellery design that would thrive on the involvement of the wearer and extend beyond the idea of ornamentation and into the realms of interaction.

Porcelain necklace 2007 Model, Charlotta Bergenstjerna

In my work, the body, with its sensation and experience, physically responds to the jewellery as if they are silently conversing with each other. The correlation between the two can be viewed as a performance. How could I visually capture this element of performance when wearing, a piece of jewellery – for example a necklace?

When a necklace is placed on the neck area, once the difficulty of securing the clasp is tackled with, the initial reaction of the wearer is to touch and adjust it. This allows the wearer to familiarise themselves with the item by performing a ritual grooming in the mirror. Touching areas of the face, neck and hair until a level of contentment with their appearance has been achieved. This regular everyday ritual of dressing and undressing possesses a connection between the jewellery and the body and when it is perfected in its repetition this process becomes an unconscious act and quickly forgotten. Recording this ritual is something I strived to capture in my jewellery designs, with the aim of drawing this process onto a conscious level.

Recording 2007 Poster paint

One method I employed in order to record this collection of unconscious reactions was to immerse a beaded necklace into black paint before it was placed on the body. The unusual sensation of paint on skin provided a strong visual representation of the wearers ritualistic habits, resulting in a collection of various mark making over the fingers and chin, as well as leaving a visually appealing pattern on the neck.

As the process was captured an ephemeral recording was left on the skin. I then used the resulting pattern as a template which was transfered back into metal. As it was returned to its precious state the process was immortalized back to its original form, resulting in a piece of jewellery where an experience or moment in time has been captured, from the original beaded necklace to the final patterns of its placement.

Ritual neckpiece 2007 Anodised guilding metal Photographer, Rikard Osterlund

About the artist: Having graduated in BA Silversmithing, Goldsmithing and Jewellery Design at the University College for the Creative Arts in Rochester, Michelle Jessop was given the opportunity to extend her studies at the UCCA through their MA Three Dimensional Design. During her education and beyond Michelle has explored the idea of disciplines and strived to blur the lines that separate them, recording every step of the design process.