Wabi-sabi Leaf earrings

These are silver earrings inspired by Vetkat Regopstaan drawings and asperity.
I designed these earrings for the Vetkat regopstaan exhibition, Vetkat is a Bushman who creates Bushman art, I made these in copper but never used the design and came back at a later stage where I created them in silver. These earrings I feel represent the true aesthetic of Wabi-sabi, according to Wikipedia these characteristics include asymmetry, asperity, simplicity, modesty, intimacy, and the suggestion of natural processes. These earrings remind me of aging leaves, the way in which they curl into a helix spiral as they dry. As explained by Young “Wabi refers to that which is humble, simple, normal, and healthy, while sabi refers to elegant detachment and the rustic maturity that comes to something as it grows old.”

Free hand creation pattern

I made this cuff to create a flower of life pattern with a distinctive handmade look. I did this by punching the pattern free hand without a template. Due to the fact that the punches were not spaced evenly, splits were created in the metal; I decided to ‘stitch’ the splits up with thin thread-like wire. This was the same concept as the Flower of Life repetition cuff with 18ct Gold granules which I had made previously and used granules instead of wire, it was derived from the carved wooden tea bowls of Korea which were created for traditional tea drinking ceremonies. When the craftsmen carved these bowls some of them would crack during the drying process which rendered them useless for containing tea. The craftsmen would stitch the cracks using wire which gave them an artistic appeal, thus enabling them to be sold as artwork.
I brought about a handmade appearance in other pieces of my jewellery by taking a more relaxed approach in the manufacturing process which I call an ‘intentionally careless’ approach. This approach for me was less of a meditation as I had to think about the placement of my punch.

Punched flower earrings

These earrings were derived from the basic component from the flower of life pattern. These earrings are a reflection of the handmade quality which I want to achieve with my jewellery. I have created these earrings using thin silver plate, I used a different alloy of silver containing half the amount of copper, I prefer this alloy as it seems to be whiter in colour and does not tarnish as quickly. When I created these earrings I kept in mind the flaws found in ethnic jewellery so I tried not to be too careful when I stamped the pattern into the metal. Although I wanted my punching to be fairly neat and accurate I wasn't bothered by it being out of place if I happened to misplace my punch. I also drew the flower onto the metal by hand to ensure a more handmade look and feel, as you may notice each petal is slightly different. Lastly, I used a punch/stamp which I made by hand to create the petal-like edge, I was also not too careful to stamp the edge perfectly by evenly spacing the punch.