Sustainable Jewellery

Sustainability is foremost in the minds of many designer-makers at the moment; there has been a surge of environmentally-sustainable developments in the collections shown recently at Origin, at New Designers in Islington, at Pulse and at Collect. Jewellers are very aware of sustainability issues, as such a large proportion of their traditional materials come from non-sustainable sources (precious stones and metals) and they have traditionally used acids, dyes, and other techniques not renowned for their eco-friendliness. This book will encourage makers to recycle and show how pre-loved or traditionally throwaway materials can be reconsidered and re-used. Materials covered will include: re-working old jewellery, parcel tape, plastic water bottles, phone cards, stamps, wool, tin, rubber tyres, string, leather, seeds hair, and recycled processed materials (glass, Durat, Tectan, Carpet Burns, Smile, etc). Jewellers are very aware of sustainability issues, as traditional jewellery materials come from non-sustainable sources (precious stones and metals). This book will encourage makers to recycle and show how pre-loved or traditionally throwaway materials can be reconsidered and re-used. Julia Manheim originally trained as a jeweller, and became well-known in the 1980s for her large-scale but light sculptural bodywear, made from materials such a painted newspaper and plastic. She is also a sculptor and installation artist with a passion for sustainability and recycled materials. She often uses discarded paper, glass, plastic wood and metal to make her own work, and then reuses them again to create new work. Julia is Senior Lecturer on the BA Jewellery Programme at Middlesex University, where her students are encouraged to explore the concept of jewellery broadly, using materials appropriate to the idea they want to express rather than purely for the sake of convention. Written by a talented and experienced teacher in the field, and both instructional and inspirational An invaluable resource for students and must-have reading for all practising jewellers - redefines interpretations of both jewellery and recycling. Richly visual sourcebook for makers, students and any creative people interested in issues of sustainability and thinking about new approaches to traditional crafts.