Britain made an international name for itself in the world of contemporary jewellery in the 1970s and 80s. Practitioners like Wendy Ramshaw, David Watkins, Susanna Heron and Caroline Broadhead challenged pre-conceptions of jewellery through the materials and techniques they used and the questionable wearability of the forms they created. Their departures from tradition had a lasting effect, and the new generation of designers and makers continue to enlarge the form and meaning of jewellery in the UK in varied and surprising ways.

Alchemy examines a range of jewellers, from recent graduates to names well established in the industries of jewellery and fashion. Naomi Filmer, Solange Azagury-Partrige, Laura Peterson, Andrew Lamb, Tanvi Kant, Shaun Leane, Laura Potter and Scott Wilson all challenge conventional parameters of jewellery design by experimenting with materials, references and scale, and by questioning our inherited notions of value, identity and adornment.

Tanvi Kant’s necklaces and bracelets are recycled from her mother’s saris and allude to personal and collective histories while subverting traditional notions of material value. Laura Potter’s work incorporates familiar, everyday objects to create pieces which question material and personal value: Pricey, for example, is a dense series of blank price tags transforming the object which usually indicates value into a valuable object in itself. Untitled is a ring with a detachable padlock which, when not worn, protects it from loss. Solange Azagury-Partridge challenges our expectations of how precious stones and metals have traditionally been combined. Drawing on the graphic iconography of pop-art, her work combines intricate stone in-lay applications with the theatrical freedom of costume jewellery.

In a climate of mass manufacturing these jewellers’ work highlights the unique value and desirability of the hand-made, and Judith Clark’s exhibition design creates a scintillating public spectacle. A further ambition of this exhibition, however, is to make a legible case for jewellery as one of the creative industries with strong potential for cultural expression and commercial growth in the Middle East.  

Curated by Alison.Moloney@britishcouncil.org and Dana.Andrew@britishcouncil.org

Alchemy: Contemporary Jewellery from Britain opens in Muscat at Bait al Zubair Museum from14-26 February 2007