Janine Fox. K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery Ltd. New Talents Award Nominee 2025

Name of graduation student: Janine Fox
Name of guiding teachers: Katrin Spranger and Kelvin Birk

Nominated by K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery


Janine Fox successfully completed our SQA-accredited Level 4 Diploma course at K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery in July 2025. Her background in art history allows her to approach themes with depth, clarity and strong contextual awareness. Janine was never afraid to experiment. Throughout the course, she consistently demonstrated a fearless curiosity, testing materials and techniques beyond her comfort zone, including the creation of delicate pieces with a cosmic quality, made from clingfilm and mixed media.
This bold approach to jewellery design reflects her commitment to challenging conventions and embracing the unpredictable, resulting in pieces that intrigue with their originality and innovation.
/ Katrin Spranger and Kelvin Birk.


The statement of the artist:
nebula (plural nebulae or nebulas): a cloud of gas or dust in space, appearing either bright or dark. / Cambridge Dictionary

Nebulae is a collection of jewellery designed and made by Janine Fox and inspired by the cosmos. The collection includes a necklace, a ring and two brooches and are made from cling film (plastic film), duster cloths, electroformed glass, acrylic paint and brass.

The creative process for Nebulae began with researching aspects of the cosmos followed by experimenting with various non-metal materials. To select the materials to experiment with, I focused on quite mundane, everyday objects, which I either loved or hated, at a fundamental level. The idea was to understand how they were constructed, how they can be deconstructed and manipulated to re-create new and beautiful objects. I wanted to reach a point where I saw these materials through a different lens than before. It also felt exciting to try combining materials that might intrigue people and capture the imagination.

Within the theme of the cosmos, I was particularly drawn to nebula clouds and inspired by the ethereal shapes and colours captured through the process of astro-photography. When gently heated and manipulated by movement, the cling film formed into nebula-like shapes, or clusters.

The dusters frayed extremely easily during experimentation, which reminded me of nebula-like strands or strings reaching out into space. The rainbow colours were created with acrylic-based paint on the clusters and coloured inks on the duster cloths. The clusters were first primed, then layered with the acrylic paint, and finally embellished with the duster cloth, gold pigment and black electroformed glass. All the clusters were sealed with a matt PVA sealant. 

The final pieces of jewellery were designed with due consideration as to what shapes would look best where on the body. The brass wire was milled into a square profile to create the findings and mounts to enable the cling film to become more stable on the body. The square wire compliments the cosmic theme, as if the claws that wrap around the nebula could be reaching out of a spacecraft or satellite. The final pieces are sculptural and bold. It isn't obvious what the materials are. The metallic and glass elements contrast with the grungy matt surface of the nebula clusters and duster strands. The combination of textures and colours create depth and fascination, mirroring our wonder at the universe.

If I were to develop this collection further, it would be with an environmental focus at its core. Pieces would be made using recycled plastics that have already been used and discarded and would ultimately end up in landfill. Due to the nature of how plastic is manufactured, there is huge potential in experimenting with its various properties and discovering how different plastics can be manipulated to produce a range of creative and unique objects.


Contact:
E-mail: janine@janinefox.co.uk
Instagram: @janine_fox

Find out more about K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery