Made To Be Made
Sterling silver, steel, nylon, paper, plastic
A project exploring self-build kits and investigating how they can be situated within a contemporary jewellery art context.
Building on an ongoing interest in value and inspired by the theory of the “IKEA Effect”, the idea that people value objects more when they contribute to their creation, the project examines how participation in the making process can influence perceptions of value, while also blurring the lines between designer, maker and wearer.
Drawing inspiration from plastic model kits, the piece takes the form of a functional jewellery kit containing a deconstructed toy-like ring within a silver frame, along with an instruction manual, brooch pin and nylon cord. The final kit allows for an element of choice; the maker and wearer can decide to assemble the parts of the kit to make a ring, wear the whole kit as a brooch or pendant, or assemble the ring and then wear the remaining frame as a brooch or pendant.
The outcome of this project is a comment on associations of value within the field of jewellery. Jewellery is often associated with prestige and material worth, but in this instance, the ring’s frame and the silver packaging hold more material value than the assembled ring itself, challenging the conventional hierarchies and supporting the sentiment that value is not a given, it can be designed. Unlike in typical plastic model kits, where the frame is redundant and discarded once the model has been assembled, all elements within the kit, both the ring and remaining frame, are wearable.
Made to be made, but also made to be worn.