This is wearing history.
It is such a pleasure to talk about this Roman Collection. For a number of years I have been collecting ancient original Roman glass and stone beads as well as coins with this jewellery collection in mind. Bringing back to life these ancient beads is just a joy and it's wonderful to consider, who might have made them, who might have worn them, and what journey they have been through since they were made. If only these beads could tell their story it would be so interesting. Unfortunately they can't but instead we can get to enjoy wearing them, telling their story and appreciate their uniqueness and beauty.
I also combine ancient Roman coins with beautiful gemstones in earrings as part of this collection. When selecting the particular coins I pay careful attention to the patina, the colour and the clarity of the portrait. The intent is to select coins with a sense of wonder and mystique about them, so it feels like the subjects are peeping out through history at us and through this inviting us into their world. The coins patina sets a good deal of the tone for this process and determines which gemstones will accompany the coins in the earrings. It's astonishing once you really start looking closely at patina it is very specific and contains many different colours. It's a fascinating process and it nearly feels like the coin tells you which gemstones to choose.
I hope you enjoy the collection as much as I have enjoyed making them.
You can see the Roman Collection by clicking on the below links.
Upcoming Exhibitions:
Henley Arts Trail, 4th - 6th May 2024
Caversham Art Trail, 11th - 12th & 18th - 19th May 2024
Bucks Art Weeks, 8th - 16th June 2024
Wargrave Festival, 25th June 2024