Diamond Debt is Forever, 2019
Sterling silver, bronze and synthetic diamonds
11 rings, approx. ¼"x1”x1” each, on a base approx. 12”x18”x12”
This body of work is a sardonic commentary on American consumption of mass produced, mass marketed, pseudo-luxury goods.
Consumers allow corporations to define what is beautiful, what is important, while we forget that corporations’ sole purpose is to maximize profits no matter the cost to our society. The irony of using mass-produced simulated diamonds in a handcrafted impractical one of a kind piece of jewelry underscores the ridiculous choices that consumers make. Choices made, ultimately, at the expense of people and the environment.
These rings depict women as consumers, trying to turn away from the lure of this false luxury. Male figures represent the corporations who continue to push their artificial symbols of wealth and independence on the consumer culture any way they can.
Process
For each ring I direct-cast a manufactured plastic train model figure in bronze and silver, fabricated a sterling silver ring shank, made a silver tube setting for the artificial diamond, soldered it all together then set the stone. The models were burned away in the lost-wax-like casting method, this method is commonly used in the large-scale manufacture of consumer goods. The labor-intensive techniques I used to make each one of a kind ring are a direct contrast to techniques used by corporations to mass produce their pseudo-luxury goods.
This work is a result of learning how to set facetted stones. I set all these stones in a tube of sterling silver in which I carefully cut a seat for the stone to fit into precisely. I left a thin wall of tubing above the edge of the stone then bent over onto the stone to hold it in place.
This exhibit generously funded by a
Frostic School of Art Enrichment Grant
Sterling silver, bronze and synthetic diamonds
11 rings, approx. ¼"x1”x1” each, on a base approx. 12”x18”x12”
This body of work is a sardonic commentary on American consumption of mass produced, mass marketed, pseudo-luxury goods.
Consumers allow corporations to define what is beautiful, what is important, while we forget that corporations’ sole purpose is to maximize profits no matter the cost to our society. The irony of using mass-produced simulated diamonds in a handcrafted impractical one of a kind piece of jewelry underscores the ridiculous choices that consumers make. Choices made, ultimately, at the expense of people and the environment.
These rings depict women as consumers, trying to turn away from the lure of this false luxury. Male figures represent the corporations who continue to push their artificial symbols of wealth and independence on the consumer culture any way they can.
Process
For each ring I direct-cast a manufactured plastic train model figure in bronze and silver, fabricated a sterling silver ring shank, made a silver tube setting for the artificial diamond, soldered it all together then set the stone. The models were burned away in the lost-wax-like casting method, this method is commonly used in the large-scale manufacture of consumer goods. The labor-intensive techniques I used to make each one of a kind ring are a direct contrast to techniques used by corporations to mass produce their pseudo-luxury goods.
This work is a result of learning how to set facetted stones. I set all these stones in a tube of sterling silver in which I carefully cut a seat for the stone to fit into precisely. I left a thin wall of tubing above the edge of the stone then bent over onto the stone to hold it in place.
This exhibit generously funded by a
Frostic School of Art Enrichment Grant