Carpenters Workshop Gallery returns to PAD London with a booth displaying the finest in contemporary jewellery, featuring pieces by over 20 practitioners at the cutting edge of creativity, aesthetics and craftsmanship.
Crafted from metals such as copper, brass, bronze, silver and gold, these works of wearable art feature precious and semi-precious stones such as diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, onyx and amethyst alongside materials like wood, ceramic, porcelain, crystal and pearl. Forged into unique, innovative shapes, the remarkable pieces on display embrace the rich possibilities of their materials and experiment with notions of how the human body can be adorned.
The exhibited artists and designers are Walid Akkad, Sylvie Auvray, Aldo Bakker, Hermien Cassiers, Castro NYC, Ane Christensen, Alice Cicolini, Aki+Arnaud Cooren, Sonia Delaunay, Jean Despres, Thibault Hazelzet, Rashid Johnson, Paris Kain, Michèle Lamy & Loree Rodkin, Robert Longo, Alessandro Palwer, Jacqueline Rabun, Loree Rodkin, Sylvain Rieu-Piquet, Kayo Saito, Cindy Sherman, Caroline Van Hoek and Tapio Wirkkala.
Castro NYC’s Croissant Earrings feature an unusual combination royal purple amethyst, antique white diamonds, hand-carved Mexican ebony and 18-karat yellow gold with aluminium – an everyday, household material that is extreme brittle during the forming process. The late Terry Castro spent a lifetime interrogating the world and translating his experiences into highly personal jewellery designs. This work is inspired by his time in Paris, where he came to love its decadent pastries like the buttery, flaky croissant.
Paris Kain’s Jupiter Ring, named after the Roman King of the Gods, features a meteorite set into a silver and platinum alloy ring. Inspired by philosophical concepts, Kain’s artistic style – which he describes as “Techno Surrealism” – blends ancient and modern elements. The artist’s use of meteorites reflects his fascination with the journey through time and space, producing works that reach an otherworldly realm. As in all his works, the rare stone featuring in this ring dictates the final form of the overall piece.
Among the works on display is Hunrod Gold Snake Ring, a collaboration between creative entrepreneur Michèle Lamy and jewellery designer Loree Rodkin, crafted from yellow and white 18-carat gold and ethically sourced diamonds. The piece represents the snake of the Chinese zodiac, an intellectual creature defined by traits like humour and wit and often associated with creativity, literature and the arts. A single, pear-shaped diamond sits on the snake’s head, with the rest of its body wrapped around the gold band.
Seedpod Bracelet by Kayo Saito – an artist influenced by the fragility of plants and known for cherishing the overlooked miracles of nature – is part of a collection evoking Japanese calligraphy and Haiku poetry. Combining silver, 18-carat gold and black rhodium plating, the repetitive, organic elements of this delicate work of sculptural jewellery mirror nature. The layering of each element brings energy and movement to the final piece, creating highly decorative ornaments that closely fit the body’s form.
The booth reflects Carpenters Workshop Gallery’s commitment to contemporary ways of making that encompass a rich variety of disciplines and obscure traditional artistic genres. Showcasing the precision, imagination and sensibility of some of the finest contemporary practitioners, the exhibited works reflect the ability of contemporary jewellery to tell powerful stories and encapsulate heritage, tradition and craftsmanship.
