I think it smells like gold

As we told you in our last post, we are now back in Sweden. At the moment super busy getting started with our new workshops, making plans for future projects and – in the meantime we are making a living from another part of the jewellery world. Karin is a seller in a fancy jewellery store and Sanna is a valuer in a pawnshop - miles away from the contemporary. But you get a lot of experiences, some good some that you wish you would have been without.

             

Benjamin Lignel
Piece: Io ce l'ho d'oro (yeah...but mine's gold) 2007
Fine gold 6,5 x 3,4 x 3,4 cm Beak extension for pigeon
photo: Enrico Bartolucci, Paris


 The boutique where I work was robbed today, for the second time in one year. Fortunately no one was injured, but of course we all got scared and upset. I guess precious objects can provoke strong feelings. Often desire or some other strong emotion is something the creator aims to awake in the viewer. In the commercial jewellery industry gold, precious stones and an exclusive brand gives a product high value. This value can create a connection between the salesperson and the customer or between the person behind the register and the robber.


             

Emmanuel Lacoste
Piece: Langue 2006
Fine gold 4 x 5 x 1 cm
Photo by Andreas Licht


These relations to the object might seem superficial but they are real and they cause serious effects. In this case, probably the catch was meant to be sold on the black market, but the money it would generate – what would it be used for? A Porsche, a Rolex, an expensive phone? These are symbols of status and richness, and yes, probably the desire is very superficial. But I cannot help being fascinated by the power of desire and of these objects.
- I was very surprised the first times that I was selling jewellery in the pawnshop, when I realised that the most common question from the costumers was “how much does it weigh?” Not who made it, what was the thought behind this necklace or simply announcing that “I really like this piece”. No, the essential seems to be in the grams. And in the carats of course. I know I know, maybe it’s not to be compared to the things we try to achieve with jewellery art. But it is very interesting to see this side of the “gem”, a far distant facet – which’s shine probably affects our working conditions as artists making jewellery more than we want to think about.  


     
 
Ana Albuquerque
Ring: Foundry 2008

800 gold, 999 gold, 18 mm 


We have been thinking a lot about what it is that puts the value into an object. Working on a piece and putting time and energy into materials often develops a relation between us and the new piece. We might end up hating each other, but sometimes we fall in love. Not necessarily because it is a brilliant piece but because of the experience we have - and all the time we have spent together.





Ellen Holvik Jacobsen
Ring: Stone Golden
Gold, diamonds


But the notion that something is rare or hard to get possession of can also add value. We find this curious, if it was the other way around life could have been easier. But on the other hand, for us as “limited jewellery art editions-producers” it is a fact that we can and will use.

/ Sanna & Karin
 

About the author

Diagonal is a collaboration between Karin Roy Andersson & Sanna Svedestedt. Our focus is to promote contemporary art jewellery. With this blog we share our views & thoughts to take you with us through the ups & downs of our jewellery adventures.

www.diagonalartprojects.com