By: Isabella van den Bos
Sometimes jewellery will go beyond its elementary function of body adornment. When this is the case, the issue is not the question of beautiful and/or ugly (which in essence is not relevant, but that is another story, literally and figuratively), but the function. In other words, a practical piece of jewellery, for instance a poison ring from ancient Rome.
An important motive for Cecilia Valentine, a jewellery designer working in Holland, is coming up with simple solutions for problems. She has a delightfully practical disposition. With her wearable cages from the series ‘Fur is Alive’ she comments on the exploitation of animals in the fashion world. If you are really bent on wearing something coming from an animal, then why not wear the animal yourself. We like this kind of mentality.
Ana Cardim (Portugal) has an answer to another issue: litter, waste separation and recycling. To her, waste is material, form and performance in one. Her ‘Garbage Pin’ is a silver holder with a small plastic bag. “When the bag is full, you can close it with a strip and keep it as proof of an experience. Every Garbage Pin is sold with extra strips and bags”, says Cardim. Waste as diary, pedal bin as brooch. Good riddance!
