Brooch ('Changing Colour' series) (J308)

Catalogue Record

Collection

Maker

Andrew Lamb

Title

Brooch ('Changing Colour' series)

Made in

Edinburgh

Date

2010

Description

A brooch with a silver spiral around a gold eliptical body.

Materials and techniques

Silver and 18ct yellow gold wire, silver and 18ct yellow gold sheet and stainless steel brooch pin. Traditional hand skills including wire drawing/blending and soldering, saw piercing, filing, polishing and burnishing. Laser welding.

Dimensions

height:  5cm
width:  4.5cm
depth:  1cm

Object number

J308

Category

  • Brooch ('Changing Colour' series), Andrew Lamb, 2010, Crafts Council Collection: J308. Photo: Todd-White Art Photography.

Maker's statement

I have long been fascintaed by wire work and have found it offers endless possibilities. I use silver, red, white and yellow gold wires ike 'threads': layered, twisted or overlapping to create pieces with rippling textures and subtle colour variations. The method I use to produce my work is a lengthy one. Before constructing the pieces I draw down my own wires by hand, often all the way from an ingot. This gives me full control in developing pattern and volume. Pieces may contain a few dozen, up to several thousand individual wires. The techniques I have developed are unique and test traditional jewellery bench skills as well as utilising new laser-welding techniques.

In this piece I was exploring the visual effect of silver disappearing into gold and back again. My interest in illusion and challenging ones visual perceptions led to create this brooch. Using the two metals it appears that the brooch gradually shifts from white to yellow. Again, movement and light reflections play a big part in the success of this piece.