Ball and Chain by Tine De Ruysser

By making a jewellery collection of money, Tine De Ruysser questions the value we place in gold and money. The two materials are closely related. After all, paper money came into existence because people did not want to carry their gold around when travelling. When “paper money” was first used there was no more money printed than there was gold in the bank. Money was worth gold. Through time the connection between money and gold has turned around: now gold is worth money. So why do we still wear gold? Would we be better off wearing money? It is just as effective to show off our wealth and provide some wearable financial security. Or is it?
For this piece too banknotes are used as a precious material rather than a means of payment, or as objects in their own right. The notes are put together to create an object that is clearly precious because of the used materials. It is pretty due to the colours and patterns of the notes. It could be worn as jewellery, but because of its size is also suitable as an object to beautify the home. The banknotes are not damaged, so the object can be taken apart and returned to the monetary value of the materials. Just like precious metals.