Platinum 2021

Figure 1 below shows my platinum competition submission piece, statement earrings. They are made from a leaf skeleton embedded in epoxy with a platinum frame.

Figure 1-Bowes, K., (2021). Final Platinum piece.

 

Figure 2-Bowes, K., (2021). Details.

My statement earrings, as seen in Figure 1, are what I made for the Anglo Platinum competition.The competition brief provides design hooks as a designing starting point but I didn't find these very helpful so I compiled my own design hooks from personal references. Part of the requirement was also to consider who the piece is made for, the client.

From my personal design hooks I settled on working with fibers. I found a fine aluminium mesh that was easy to manipulate to create forms similar to that of my natural skeleton leaves.I attempted to braid silver wire to make my own mesh but failed so I continued working with the aluminium mesh to prototype making leaves with silver veins. The prototype didn't  create a 'natural' looking leaf so I doubled up the mesh and also researched anodizing the aluminum mesh. The silver veins were also a struggle because as the work-hardened they snapped. 

After the lockdown levels changed I missed the competition deadline but was luckily given a limited extension. I revised my plan of what I was going to make and decided to work with my skeleton leaves and place them in epoxy to save time. The epoxy became ideal as it is easily shaped in hot water. There are different types of epoxy so I tested three different types to compare colour and flexibility. The only difficulty I was finding a way to keep the epoxy thickness even because if the epoxy is too thin it tends to crack, I ended up using a perspex frame.

I digitally designed how I can use the epoxy leaf to create an earring. My first prototype I assembled using a tapered silver wire but the epoxy wasn't secure so I experimented with adding side wires, 'veins', to add stability. For my second prototype I used the side wires to 'set' the epoxy leaf. From all that I had learnt I made a final prototype using a clearer epoxy and made the leaves white so they stood out. From the new white leaves in the clear epoxy I chose my leaves for the final piece and made the frame out of the platinum, as seen in Figure 2, I received from the competition.

I unfortunately did not make it to the top 10 in the competition but I did receive feedback. Reflecting on that feedback the biggest concern was the weight of the finished earrings. I really wanted to make smaller and simpler earrings using the epoxy but completely ran out of time to make them this year.