Reflections of St. Mary's Necklace thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Reflections of St. Mary's Necklace

Necklace
1994-1995 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This piece is part of the Royal College of Art Visiting Artists Collection. Every year from 1987 to 2006, while David Watkins was Professor of Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewellery at the RCA, he invited four jewellers and silversmiths from outside Britain to give a week-long masterclass. The artists brought diverse skills, aesthetics and approaches. The first call on their time was to interact closely with the students. In addition, although concentrating on their teaching and working in an unfamiliar studio, each artist generously made an object for the RCA's collection. The Royal College of Art Visiting Artists Collection, now transferred to the V&A, is a major document of international contemporary jewellery, a tribute both to the artists and to the vibrancy of the RCA as a teaching institution.

By the 1980s avant-garde artist jewellers had increased the scale of jewellery and pushed wearability to the limit. The wearer became more conscious of the jewellery interacting with the body. From this evolved the theme of sensual jewellery, which flows and moves with the body.

Rachelle Thiewes explores movement as well as sound in her jewellery. The wearer is made conscious of their every move by the spiky shapes and dimensions of her pieces. The body motion creates a musical effect through the rhythmic sounds coming from the chiming pendants. She has described how her first introduction to jewellery was through the long rosaries worn by the nuns at her catholic school: 'The rosary hung on the outside of the leg and dropped in length to almost the ankle. When the nuns moved, so too did the rosaries, swinging in rhythm to the body's movement. The "Reflections of St. Mary's" series of necklaces were inspired by this early experience of jewelry / body motion ideas'.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleReflections of St. Mary's Necklace (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Silver and gold. The hollow forms are constructed from flat sheet. The fine satin finish was applied to the surface by hand.
Brief description
Silver and gold pendant with a chain. Designed and made by Rachelle Thiewes (USA), 1994-95.
Physical description
Long silver chain with a pendant consisting of a silver ring from which hang numerous smaller rings and elongated pendants in silver and gold.
Dimensions
  • Height: 67.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
(unmarked)
Credit line
Royal College of Art Visiting Artists Collection
Object history
Royal College of Art Visiting Artists Collection
Production
Made while leading a masterclass at the RCA
Summary
This piece is part of the Royal College of Art Visiting Artists Collection. Every year from 1987 to 2006, while David Watkins was Professor of Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewellery at the RCA, he invited four jewellers and silversmiths from outside Britain to give a week-long masterclass. The artists brought diverse skills, aesthetics and approaches. The first call on their time was to interact closely with the students. In addition, although concentrating on their teaching and working in an unfamiliar studio, each artist generously made an object for the RCA's collection. The Royal College of Art Visiting Artists Collection, now transferred to the V&A, is a major document of international contemporary jewellery, a tribute both to the artists and to the vibrancy of the RCA as a teaching institution.

By the 1980s avant-garde artist jewellers had increased the scale of jewellery and pushed wearability to the limit. The wearer became more conscious of the jewellery interacting with the body. From this evolved the theme of sensual jewellery, which flows and moves with the body.

Rachelle Thiewes explores movement as well as sound in her jewellery. The wearer is made conscious of their every move by the spiky shapes and dimensions of her pieces. The body motion creates a musical effect through the rhythmic sounds coming from the chiming pendants. She has described how her first introduction to jewellery was through the long rosaries worn by the nuns at her catholic school: 'The rosary hung on the outside of the leg and dropped in length to almost the ankle. When the nuns moved, so too did the rosaries, swinging in rhythm to the body's movement. The "Reflections of St. Mary's" series of necklaces were inspired by this early experience of jewelry / body motion ideas'.
Bibliographic references
  • David Watkins, The Best in Contemporary Jewellery, London 1993
  • Susan Grant Lewin, American Art Jewelry of Today, London 1994
  • Amanda Game and Elizabeth Goring, Jewellery Moves, ornament for the 21st century, National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh 1998
Collection
Accession number
M.45-2007

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Record createdFebruary 14, 2008
Record URL
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