B- Square

I like the fact that a ring does not have to be round. The most important thing is comfort, and thickness between the fingers. A square ring is surprisingly comfortable. I made this one with Mahogany inlay and a matt silver finish.

Titanium Earth

Titanium and ebony wood.
A ring I made for a client - so lovely the colour of the titanium.

Gaia (Crescent Moon)

This pendant was a challenge. Getting the wood and the frame to marry took ages.
I love it though. I wore it for a while and then I lost it. Broke my heart! Ah, lessons in non-attachment.

Wood Carving

Working with wood is satisfyingly therapeutic. I needed a break from jewellery. Running out of silver makes me think of ways to create objects out of other materials and using silver as a highlight. I found an elephant's bum in amongst my wood (from chopping up ebony elephants for rings) and decided to carve it into a face.. used the tail as the nose..

Pendants - Wood

Silver and wooden pendants on rubber.

I made them in a day, so easy to work with wood. Simplicity is my style and I like it that way. I prefer the Zen of clean design rather than the clutter of trying to put to much into a given space. Relaxes my mind as opposed to keeping it busy.. I'd rather read a good book to busy my mind. Jewellery to me is therapeutic, an expression of silence.

Neckpiece - Wood

I made this neckpiece of silver and wood..

I enjoy wood .. sculptural and earthy, in celebration of this magnificent planet. Thank you to the trees, you provide us with so much of what we need - from art to paper to firewood to shade and so much more.. Bless Mother Nature and her gifts.

Wood Engagement Ring

2 Tone, Angled Inlay. Silver, Mahogany & Beach Wood.

Engagement rings are changing in this day and age. I made this one for a British guy buying his engagement ring in South Africa. I love it when the rules of tradition are broken. Wood is organic and not as durable as metal, so in time will gain the character of wear, as will silver, being a relatively soft metal. The client is a carpenter and will be wearing this wedding ring on his thumb. Another rule broken! How very refreshing (:

See more in my Wood Range.

Spring Ring

This is my Spring Ring.
Mahogany wood and lemon Quartz set in silver frames above the finger, held with copper coloured rubber. The ring hugs the finger, is very comfortable to wear. Called 'Spring' because of the flexibility of the rubber as well as the colours used.

The rubber shank idea was interesting but not practical long term. Heavy tugging will pull the rubber out of the tube into which it is rivetted. The nice thing about the rubber shank is that the bulky ring top remains seated in the middle above the finger, due to the elasticity of the rubber clinging to the skin.

Prototype:

This was the first rubber shank ring I made.
Problem:
I messed up and had to pull the rivets out, so I had to 'MacGyver it' (make a plan).. I made use of a tap and dye set and made two long screws to replace the original rivets. This worked alright but looked shabby.
Gem:
The rectangle was not a perfect one, slightly off, and so I set a garnet cab into the longer side to accentuate the asymmetry. It didn't really work, it still just looks 'a little off'.
Placement:
This rings look fabulous as a pinkie ring, the straight edge of the frame follows the side line of the hand.

Blommi in a Box

'Blommi'

" the Tapered frame protests against the 90degree angle, stretching the confines of the perfect Rectangle. A new shape is Born"

This ring wasn't intended to look like a coffin, but it does!
It is a silver twisted shank with Sneezewood inlaid on top. After polishing, the wood looked a little dark and plain in the frame.. so I used a flower earring with no partner to 'break the brown' on the wider side.

Blommi is afrikaans for flower, also a term of endearment.

Shapes

Playing with shapes..

I enjoy this method of snadwiching the wood between silver so as to create a block fro which to sculpt. Files and sawblades led into a final polish by means of paper stick smoothing out the creases. I often 'switch off' and let the piece dictate what it wants to look like.

Basic ingredients

These ring are what I call 'basic ingrediants'.
They are the types of designs that belong to nobody and done by many.
The simple yet effective flared ring with an inner - other material.
These rings I did in love of simplicity and the geometry parallel lines.

The leanover ring is with Beech wood and Natal Mahogany in silver.
The ring on the right is divided at an angle (in protest against symmetry again?)

Tree Ring

Rootbeet

Swedish Louise is Rootbeet. She travels the world buying and selling arts and crafts such as fabric, wooden jewellery and various other odds and ends.


Twisted Ebony rings with various silver highlights.

Having found wooden accessories in Maputo, she collaborated with the craftsmen so as to develop her own designs in wood using their skills. She has created a range of earrings, rings and bangles which she sells globally. Each year I do a collection of silver detail for her - she supplies the wooden parts and I add the silver highlights.


Ebony Earrings set with gemstones.

I Love wood and the freedom that she allows me in design, but it is tedious work. Mass production does not appeal to me and she wishes I would take on even more work than I will allow. Strict about deadlines and quality. Swedish perfection !!

Gem in the Woods

Garnet, Beach wood, Natal Mahogany, Sterling Silver

'Gem in the Woods'

She grew, a heartbeat,
the vein of the tree
- lifeblood.

This one made me cross. I set the wood in slightly skew. That's the thing with basic geometry and simple shapes. You have to get it exactly right or its all wrong!

The frame above the finger allows for a bolder surface area, more impact. I set the garnet off to the side because it breaks the symmetry of the design (I had hoped to draw attention away from the fact that the wood is skew, alas..)

Tiara's Ring

Silver and Mixed Woods

Ring for Tiara. Her and Loren are returning to Canada after her studies here.
They wanted a piece of Africa to take home with them. Gary (fiance') made Loren's ring and I made Tiara's. They fitted perfectly.

Split Infinity

..and the circle is broken, set aside. Time is undone..

Manufacture:

Sterling silver and Sneezewood inlay.

..aah, the by-products of other processes. These were bits of wood fallen out from the cutting of larger wooden rings. So satisfying to use them instead of throwing them away. It makes sense to me to use the leftovers of manufacture...

Design:
The circular shape of the leftover cutting is the very thing I am drawn to in geometry. I considered using full doughnut shapes and then decided to split them in half instead and set them apart, at angles.

The mental imagery I attribute to this is one of 'yanking the wheel if time and pulling it apart'.

Why this protest against time ?

Because it is moving too fast!

I feel my life moving past me and I wonder where I was when it happened. Break the cycle of time! What would happen? Would all creation fall apart? Is time the glue?

The tree (wood)
Forever and a day - the life of the tree is finite, but a little of itself may be held in a silver frame for a long time after its passing. A defiance against the destructive process of time.

Reflection:

In retrospect I understand what is happening here.

It is I who needs to slow down. Time is not the problem.