Necklace
Jewellery is often inspired by the beauty of the natural world but the approach in design and use of materials can vary substantially.
This piece was specially commissioned by the V&A. It highlights Charlotte de Syllas's skill in gemstone carving and her interest in natural forms. To develop the design, she used wooden models rather than drawings. This allowed her to anticipate how the piece would move on the body. In shaping the raw materials into the finished necklace, she applied complex techniques, including some learnt from gunmakers. De Syllas is a master of stone carving and is known for meticulous planning when making a piece. She collaborated with the British jeweller Catherine Martin, who dyed and braided the silk used in this piece.
Charlotte de Syllas was trained at the Hornsey College of Art under Gerda Flockinger. In 1966 she started working as a freelance artist jeweller.
This piece was specially commissioned by the V&A. It highlights Charlotte de Syllas's skill in gemstone carving and her interest in natural forms. To develop the design, she used wooden models rather than drawings. This allowed her to anticipate how the piece would move on the body. In shaping the raw materials into the finished necklace, she applied complex techniques, including some learnt from gunmakers. De Syllas is a master of stone carving and is known for meticulous planning when making a piece. She collaborated with the British jeweller Catherine Martin, who dyed and braided the silk used in this piece.
Charlotte de Syllas was trained at the Hornsey College of Art under Gerda Flockinger. In 1966 she started working as a freelance artist jeweller.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 7 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Green nephrite jade, white jadeite jade, coral, seed pearls and silk |
| Brief description | Necklace of carved shells and seed pearls, by Charlotte de Syllas, England 1989. |
| Physical description | Necklace of carved shell forms joined by strings of seed pearls strung on dyed silk. The carved shells are made of green nephrite jade, white jadeite jade and coral joined together with silver lacquer. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Commissioned by the V&A |
| Summary | Jewellery is often inspired by the beauty of the natural world but the approach in design and use of materials can vary substantially. This piece was specially commissioned by the V&A. It highlights Charlotte de Syllas's skill in gemstone carving and her interest in natural forms. To develop the design, she used wooden models rather than drawings. This allowed her to anticipate how the piece would move on the body. In shaping the raw materials into the finished necklace, she applied complex techniques, including some learnt from gunmakers. De Syllas is a master of stone carving and is known for meticulous planning when making a piece. She collaborated with the British jeweller Catherine Martin, who dyed and braided the silk used in this piece. Charlotte de Syllas was trained at the Hornsey College of Art under Gerda Flockinger. In 1966 she started working as a freelance artist jeweller. |
| Bibliographic reference | Charlotte de Syllas: Jewellery in Carved Gemstones, 2016, p. 11 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.4-1990 |
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| Record created | May 13, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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