Sophie Beer. Le Arti Orafe. New Graduates 2015

Le Arti Orafe, Florence, Italy.

Sophie Beer - Office 9 to 5
In my final project , the collection Office 9-2-5, I chose to go through the whole process of designing and producing a collection from the concept to publishing it on a website. The aim was to not only finish my studies but also to have a first complete collection that I can present myself with as a young professional jewellery artist. My research is based on my work experience from a time before I studied jewellery design and goldsmithing. I worked in different work places and for various institutions as an art historian and cultural manager. However different the work environment or context was, one thing they always had in common – the office. Being a part of an office staff myself but being considered the "art specialist“ at the same time, made me feel some expectations of being dressed appropriately but differently. The most important thing that I missed, combining my grandmothers classic blouses (she was a highly elegant grandmother) with fashionable skinny pants was appropriate and exceptional jewellery. This is how I chose to design functional jewellery specifically for people working in an office.

Silver, remains a classic in jewellery design through all times and in my collection it represents the meaning of an office as a workspace and the structured professional interaction. The title of silver – 925 (read nine two five) – also gives the collection the title which corresponds to working from nine (o’clock) to five (o’clock), which used to be a classic day in an office. The irregular hexagon that ist he basic shape of all the pieces in the colletion stands for the overlap and juxtaposition of private and professional interaction which both can be pleasure or must at the same time. Every surface of each jewellery piece is treated or coloured. There is nothing left to coincidence, just like in an office every workprocess is thought through until the end. Last but not least, the collections functionality unfolds when used properly in combination with office tools. Pens, handkerchiefs, rubberbands, and even mirrors give the collection their purpose and a personal as well as humoristic finish. Who wouldn’t need a handkerchief when they spilled coffee on their blouse or their boss has been mean and got personal? The tools again highlight the symbiosis of professional and private person and give the jewellery a functional role, or leave them by being detached from the jewellery, a decorative ornament.

The designing and manufacturing process was not the end of my project. As an artisan, it is not enough to have the technical skills or choose the right materials in order to express a concept clearly. It is necessary to promote our work, to make ourselves a name, to address our actual audience and to find like minded people for exchange about our art and craft. Since I never have been a great fan of facebook, a website seemed to be the most professional, economic and adapted tool for doing so. I chose how to present myself as a jewellery designer, maker, artist and how to present my collection. For me it is important, to give my potential audience the chance to learn something personal about me and some details about the jewellery pieces I make, that you cannot find out just by looking at them. In order to create an element that is connecting my potential customers to me as a person behind the "product“, I wrote all the descriptive texts myself. The portrait I chose, shows my strength and my delicacy at the same time. sophiebeer.com gives insight in why I create things, that make everyday a little bit more fun, more real or more enjoyable and why I choose jewellery to do so.


The final project realized by Sophie Beer for the three-year diploma in jewellery making and design is a very effective summary of technical competences, ability to synthesize, and of optimal use of materials, combined with a sense of humor that helps to infuse elements of irony in the objects of the "Office 925" collection. These qualities and these skills have been highlighted in all the work of Sophie, especially in the last year of studies, in which she clearly outlined her creative profile. The theoretical and technical skills acquired in her study period at LAO, combined with her very complex and varied previous training, enables Sophie to carry out complex projects with great effectiveness. / Giò Carbone, Director Le Arti Orafe, June 2015

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