The Organica Collection, Recycled Silver Jewellery
I am so excited to finally introduce my first cohesive collection of jewellery. It has been a forever and a day in the making, starting with a few ideas floating around in my head for a while. I like to think about an idea and feel what calls to me and then let it manifest when the time feels right. This is Organica.
I realise the way I like to work is more organic, letting ideas and experiments flow rather than having a very defined plan. I like to see what direction I am pulled towards and I enjoy the process of developing an idea. I chose the name Organica to reflect the nature of my ideas as well as the execution.
Recycled Jewellery
This range of pendants and rings started when deciding what to do with all the scrap silver I have accumulated since starting Midwinter Hollow. One option is to send the scrap silver back to suppliers to be weighed and given credit. You can also send it away to be refined and sent back to you in the form of silver sheet, wire or an ingot.
I decided I would rather try and create something myself and release a small range of recycled jewellery to cut out the middle man and save on transport and other costs.
Wearable Art
What will I make and how? I thought to myself “what do I REALLY want to create?” The answer is Art. Always Art. There has been an artist inside me for as long as I can remember but in the past I have created art for fun, for gifts, to fill a space on the wall and never to show or even sell to the general public.
Over the past few years I have wanted to move back towards my passion of creating art by making some wearable art pieces.
Organica Range of Recycled One of a Kind Jewellery
The theme behind The Organica Collection
- Organic shapes
- Organic way of working
- Recycled
These aren’t pristine and perfectly produced jewellery pieces which can be churned out again and again. I get a feel for it as I’m going along and see what shapes and textures I am naturally drawn to. It’s about feeling, exploration and artistic journey.
Each piece is like a mini sculpture, one of a kind and ever to be created again. I made these a little while ago and have kept hold of them admiring my first piece of jewellery making that really feels like ‘me’.
When I first made them I was deciding whether to use a patina, leave them bright and shiny or give the customer the option.
I added a dark patina to some and left others without but ultimately decided the patina gave them the depth and feel I was looking for. It also brings out the details and gives a slightly dark and moody look, which I absolutely adore.
Organica Silver Rings
I started with the rings as rings are my favourite pieces of jewellery to wear. There are just four to start with but I plan on making more in alternative sizes so there is a range to choose from. They are made from a recycled silver and one of a kind and each have a slightly different feel to them.
As an accompaniment to the collection, the Organica Mini Peas in a pod silver ring is simple enough to be recreated. I love this more simple design, slightly more subtle and more suitable for every day wear. I can make this in any size but only the first few will be made from recycled materials.
Organica Mini Peas in a Pod Silver Ring
Organica Silver Pendants
Once I had made the rings, I had the bug to keep making so the pendants came next. I lay down a round piece of silver, generally left over from making stacking rings. I then build up the pendant, adding bits by soldering or melting together. I use the torch to create a texture from heat. Easier to make than the rings as they can lie completely flat without moving.
They are extremely fun to create and feel like I am making mini sculptures.
The Organica Collection
This was the first ring in the series. The first ring I started to make after the original prototype. I had all my offcuts and scraps around in piles. It reminded me of that kids tv show from the nineties where they make all the stuff from the piles of junk, choosing which piles to use. it is a careful process slowly building up the ring.
Adding bits on, taking bits away, it’s a balancing act sometimes. Little balls of silver are created by melting small piles of silver until it’s molten and takes a spherical form.
I add these into the mix with curved wire, more balls and probably some more balls. Little balls are called granulation but I prefer to use the word balls.
The spheres and curved wire made me think of of planetary orbit.
It’s like a mini solar system on your finger.
Please note this ring is only available in size UK L. More designs in different sizes coming soon.
Smooth and sleek lines.
Organic doesn’t have to be raw and rough! The inspiration for this particular piece was satisfying smoothness. Graceful loops caress silver balls: yes there are balls, because I really love balls, smooth shiny balls.
I could get lost in these balls. On a serious note, I do really love the sleek lines and smoothness of this ring, it’s very satisfying to touch.
Please note this ring is only available in size UK J. Watch this space for more sizes available in the future!
Hubble bubble, toil and trouble. A lovely thick soup of bubbles? A birds best with eggs? Maybe you see something else? I wanted to build up a thick sturdy ring. This is a small ring, UK size H. It could be worn on a pinky finger or as a statement ring on a smaller hand. More sizes and designs coming soon!
I knew I wanted to include a skull in this ring so I built the shape up with a little platform at the bottom that the skull could sit on. I love how the skull sits neatly on the bottom and the way the silver curves around the skull. It has a nice asymmetrical shape, it kind of reminds me of a brain!
Please note this ring is only available in size UK N. More designs in different sizes will be available soon!
This pendant focuses on the silver balls. There is something extremely satisfying about heating up small scraps of silver so that they melt into little smooth balls, which is perhaps why they feature so heavily in this collection - besides being a great way to recycle silver that could otherwise not be used as it is too small.
Just lots and lots of balls merged together, yes I know, I am obsessed with balls. If you love. This time featuring some very small balls. I enjoy the mixture of different sized balls with the smaller ones along the bottom. I see skeletons and faces in this one!
Yes you've guessed it, another pendant with many many balls! caressing little balls then this is the pendant for you! Will I ever stop making balls? Probably not. This pendant is a little bit more melty and merged together, with a slightly asymmetrical layout.
I love the off cuts of beaded wire in this one, it reminds me a bit of a sea creature or maybe some kind of biomechanoid being from the future. There's even a bonus bit of copper wire that snuck its way in here which gives it a slight bit of colour.
Well I hope someone enjoys wearing this jewellery as much as I enjoyed creating it! It has been a long process from development of ideas, execution and the all the other things that come after such as product photography, photo processing, and creating listings.
Click here to see the full range!
I can’t wait to work on some more recycled jewellery in this style, as soon as I’ve built up some more scrap silver!