Show Character by Rike Bartels and Jacqueline Ryan

Artist list

Rike Bartels, Jacqueline Ryan

Born in Finchley, London on the 8th December in 1966, Jacqueline Ryan first began her studies in fine and applied arts at Harlow Technical College in Essex in 1985. In 1986 she enrolled at the West Surrey College of Art in Farnham, Surrey within the faculty of three-dimensional design, specialising in metalwork and jewellery. Her first works, consisting of paper-thin sheets of anodised and painted aluminium, based on models she had made in paper inspired by the natural world, emerged during this period of study. In 1988 she spent one semester of her studies at the Fachhochschule in Düsseldorf and in 1989 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She continued her studies of metalwork and jewellery at the Royal College of Art, working in silver and eventually in gold but also continuing to work in anodised aluminium. In 1991 she graduated with a Master of Arts Degree. At the Royal College of Art, she first met Giovanni Corvaja and one year after graduating moved to Padua with him. Once in Padua, she decided to concentrate exclusively on working in gold. In the year 2001 she moved to Umbria in Italy with Giovanni Corvaja where they continue to share a workshop until 2005. She now has her own studio in Umbria.

I love the natural world and am also most inspired by the decorative arts of ancient cultures such as the Egyptians and the Etruscans. I greatly admire the way in which they adored, respected and worshipped nature, a real contrast with our modern, greedy and consumerist “money-venerating” culture. The aspect of preciousness and timelessness which these ancient works of art embody is fascinating, as is the way in which they seem even today to possess a universal aesthetic, appealing to and inspiring the contemporary over and over again.
/  Jacqueline Ryan


Rike Bartels was born in Munich. After graduating from high school, she went to Spain and in 1989, during her one-year studies at the Escola Massana in Barcelona, made her first experiences with the goldsmith's art. One year later she first attended the goldsmith school in Pforzheim and following the University of Design and Applied Arts, FHG, in Pforzheim studying industrial design. In 1993 she gives up study to move to Manfred Bischoff in Tuscany. She lived and worked with him in San Casciano dei Bagni for over ten years. There she is surrounded by the important things of her live: art, Etruscans, cats, dogs and the vast landscape around Monte Amiata, which is always reflected in her work. For Rike Bartels, gold becomes the most important material during this period, and it determines her works. Today she lives and works in Munich again - with husband and dog.

Combining traditional craft with contemporary design and materials, German jewelry designer Rike Bartels creates modern masterpieces that can just as soon be worn as be seen in museums, such as the Victoria and Albert in London. A student of industrial design in her native country, Bartels moved to Italy where her inspirations and designs began to take shape. Greatly influenced by the Italian landscape, she references volcanic glass from Stromboli and olive tress as some of her creative sources. Her divine creations of dissimilar shapes fuse mixed materials, such as raw gemstones and glass shards, with 22-karat gold. Employing vibrant metals and materials such as coral, tourmaline, porcelain, and Murano glass, her contemporary creations are colorful compositions meant to delight the eye.