Meet the makers and discover superb handcrafted designer festive gifts from £45 to £15,000 as Elements goes digital
Exquisite hand-made work by over 50 established and emerging makers will be on show at Scotland’s annual Elements Festival of Jewellery, Silver and Gold.
Organised as a partnership between The Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh and Lyon & Turnbull auctioneers, this year’s festival (from 6 to 8 November) will be taking place online.
This will allow people from all round the world a chance to see high quality handcrafted work by designers and makers from across Scotland and elsewhere in the UK.
Seven talks, plus a Facebook group, will allow people to meet participating makers and discover more about their inspirations and practice.
Ebba Goring, Director of The Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh, said: “The festival has become an annual highlight for people who love beautiful handcrafted gold, silver and jewellery. As ever we’ve got an exhibition, talks, meet the maker sessions and the chance to browse and buy wonderful pieces at many different prices.
“With Christmas on the way, and many people facing Covid restrictions, we hope an online event like this will be a popular way to link those in search of interesting and imaginative gifts with some of the best emerging and established makers and designers in Scotland and other parts of the UK.”
Elements will feature jewellery, gold and silverware costing £45 to £15,000 and ranging from affordable brooches and earrings to one-off pieces, handcrafted using precious metals and gemstones.
This will be the sixth Elements – with the event having become firmly established as Scotland’s leading showcase for makers and designers.
Many of the participants are highly renowned both nationally and internationally, but
Elements also champions emerging makers and designers. It is also an ideal opportunity to find beautiful pieces that have been made using ethically sourced materials and created using sustainable practices.
Among those whose work can be seen and bought during Elements are:
- Aillie Anderson from Glasgow who creates dynamic, minimal jewellery and small-scale sculpture using a unique combination of distinctively textured, scored sterling silver and hand cast jesmonite.
- Ellys May Woods from Airdrie who works predominantly in precious metal, translating her inspiration into silverware and wearable jewellery. Her work is inspired by architectural structures within Scotland.
- Katie Watson whose jewellery and silverware designs start with walks through woodlands, along the coast and across mountains near her hometown of North Berwick and on The Isle of Arran in Scotland. On these adventures she draws and studies anything that captures her attention.
- Helena Russell, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, whose practice is inspired by interaction and movement. Her work involves a combination of sterling silver and base metals such as copper and brass.
- Annie Ruthven-Taggart, from London, who works in fair trade precious metals and semiprecious stones to create 3D sculptural forms inspired by marine life and geological structures.
Makers doing online talks include Caitlin Hegney, from Helensburgh, and Ellis Mhairi Cameron, a Scottish jeweller based in London.
The festival will also present an online exhibition of work by 10 specially selected 2020 jewellery and silversmithing graduates from 2020 Scottish art colleges.
The Elements website also allows you to register to join a series of online lectures by The Scottish Gemmological Association in celebration of their annual symposium.
And finally there is a fabulous fundraising raffle for the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust, with lots of sparkling prizes, and all proceeds going to support students and emerging makers.
Elements 2020 Highlights
The In Conversation: the Elements Makers sessions are:
- Marie Walshe of Sorrel Bay Fine Jewellery: Saturday, 7 November 2020 from 11:00-11:45. Marie’s collections are crafted using traditional goldsmithing skills, inspired by ancient cultures and reveling in a man-made natural finish. Sustainability and traceability play a large role in the sourcing of her materials.
- Ana Simoes of Ana Simoes Jewellery: Sunday, 8 November 2020 from 10:30-11:15. Ana is based in Plymouth where she designs and handcrafts her work. Her jewellery pays homage to her Portuguese and Moorish heritage, and to the country’s unique architecture.
- Eve Balashova of Evgeniia Balashova Jewellery: Sunday, 8 November from 13:00-13:45. Evgeniia combines 3D printing and traditional hand skills. Each piece is a careful manipulation of weight, texture and kinetic qualities of 3D printed nylon and precious metals.
- Caitlin Hegney: Sunday, 8 November 2020 from 14:15-15:00. A Scottish jeweller who celebrates ancient heritage in her work, exploring rhythmic markings in metal and reclaimed wood. Caitlin’s hammers into metal with hand forged tools and draws with wire.
- Ellis Mhairi Cameron: Sunday, 8 November 2020 from 16:45-17:30. A creator of sculptural fine jewellery, inspired by her Scottish heritage. Inspiration is taken from the landscape and the medieval jewellery hoards found across the Highlands. Ellis uses traditional techniques to give her pieces a rugged aesthetic.
- Lauren Davidson: Sunday, 8 November 2020 from 11:45-12:30. Lauren’s work celebrates the romance of the past and reawakens the historic concept of the family jeweller for a new generation. She specialises in bespoke design and unique engagement rings that are crafted in-house with ethical materials.
- Annie Ruthven-Taggart: Saturday, 7 November 2020 from 12:15-13:00. Annie works in fair trade precious metals and semiprecious stones to create three-dimensional sculptural forms inspired by marine life and geological structures.
The Elements Festival 2020 Facebook Group
Join the group and share with your friends, ready for the launch on the evening of Friday 6 November. It’s a chance to see examples of work and pieces available to buy or commission from the over 50 exhibitors taking part in this year’s Elements. It’s an easy way to get directly in touch with our jewellers and silversmiths and explore their work.
Lecture series by the Scottish Gemmological Association
- Garnets: The Chameleons of the Gem World by Andrew Fellowes: Saturday, 7 November 2020 from 14:00-15:00. A look at garnets – a beautiful alternative to other gems.
- History and Value Factors of Pearls: Saturday, 7 November 2020 from 15:00-16:00. Dive into the world of pearls, their formation, the predominant types found in the market and the seven value factors used by GIA to classify pearls.
- Discussion with Kerry Gregory of Gemmology Rocks: Saturday, 7 November 2020 from 16:00-17:00. As a jeweller or jewellery buyer, you don’t need to be a gemmologist. But it helps to be well informed. Kerry will guide you through what you do need to know.
Elements: Festival of Jewellery, Silver and Gold Closing Event
The online event on Sunday 8 November 2020 at 19:00 brings the sixth annual festival to a close and sees the winners drawn for The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust Raffle. It will also celebrate the work of this year’s exhibitors and 2020 graduates.
- For full details see https://elementsfestival.co.uk.
A wider selection of pictures is available from the DropBox at https://bit.ly/31UKjB9
