Introduction

 I used the title of my research report 'Producing Organic Contemporary Jewellery' to draw up a research question and supporting sub-questions. The research was done using the Action research methodology (McNiff, 2002) to arrive at an open-ended conclusion to the research questions. The report is divided into three chapters and consists of both in-action and on-action reflections (Schön1983)

Chapter one presents my interpretation of the terms used in the title. My interpretations are supported by: Koberg and Bagnall’s (1981) design process that I applied to my own design process, Quickenden(2000) who provided an understanding of contemporary trends, Metcalf (1998) who provided information regarding the functions of jewellery, Quickenden (2000) and Olver (2002) for more information about organic jewellery and how organic does not always mean working with organic materials.

Chapter two consists of the jewellers I used as references and similar characteristics to my own work. These include Nic Bladen and Louise Partain who both cast using plants, Nicole Ringgold whose pieces are sculptural and Naomi Tracz who uses cast elements to create spin-off pieces. The chapter also incorporates the findings from a semi-structured interview with Michelle Pujol, that aided in delimiting my research.

Chapter three discusses the three foci of my research question: my design development, mass production and marketing. My design development is presented as three discrete collections of jewellery I made throughout the year: Leaves, Sunflowers and Chain Links.  My exploration of mass production revolved around the use of lost wax casting. The marketing focus culminated on the website I designed to showcase and sell the pieces in the collections.