Amber Sun

5.6 x 2.2 x 1cm; 925 sterling silver; sodalite; raku cabochon; all earrings are made from round wire and metal sheets which, bend to bezels and linked by soldering

The Collection "Three Stades of Summer", consisting of a small series of three earrings, was created in the winter of 2023. The artist was inspired by the desire to escape the cold, dreary winter days and return to her favorite time of the year, summer. Central and invigorating elements that she associates with this are the endless sea, the wide blue sky, the beach with its rocky cliffs, the green forests, and meadows and, of course, the burning hot sun. This is why each pair of earrings symbolizing a state and its desire to return to these places through its appearance and color combinations.

The first pair of is called "Kiss of Sky and Ocean". The color combination of the dark blue sodalite and the light blue raku cabochon refers to the merging of sky and water on the horizon, where the gaze, gliding far out over the sea, gets lost. In addition, the cracking surface of the Raku firing is intended to refer to the breaking ocean waves, while the small white clouds of the sodalite stand for those in the sky.

The second pair of earrings is titled "Symbiosis of Sand & Stone". The sandstone collected from the beach at Wilderness; South Africa; and polished by the sea is a portable memory of the place where it was found, while the edged pyrite refers to the rough cliffs that rise in the background of the beach.

The third pair is titled "Amber Sun". The soft green of the Raku cabochon symbolizes the cooling meadows and forests in whose shade one seeks refuge, while the veins of the Raku firing refer to the outlines of branches and leaves swaying in the wind. The strong, bright orange of the amber, whose veins hint at the shimmering rays of the sun, on the other hand, stands for the heat of the burning sun.

As all the elements of summer mentioned above are closely interlinked for the artist, as well as they occur in nature in various combinations, the interchangeability of the individual earring elements plays a special role in the conception of this work. This is why all the ear studs, which are connected to the swinging pendant elements by threading them into a drilled hole, can be removed and combined in different ways. The attachment through the hole also gives the earrings a movable element whose swinging is intended to evoke the exuberance of summer, as well as serving a playful component. For the artist personally, this playfulness is a reminder of being a child and the associated summer experiences, to which the bright and cheerful colors; especially blue, orange, and green; refer.

In the spirit of self-play and discovery, the modular plug-in system of the earrings is also intended to invite the wearer to play with new combinations, as each existing plug can be easily threaded in, allowing new looks to be discovered. In addition, summer is also a season of many occasion-related celebrations, whereby the interchangeability of the earring elements; worn either as a pendant with a stud or as a single stud; allows the jewelry to be matched to the occasion, from casual and light to dangling and pompous.

The Raku cabochons were created in collaboration with two friends of the artist, who are both ceramic artists and introduced Isabella to the Raku technique while they sat together in the workshop in front of the kiln and experimented with new techniques, escaping the cold winter. During this ceramic session, the idea of expressing summer through its colorful components, instead of the many natural materials collected by the artist, was born. In addition, the Raku firing offered the creation of a uniform shape, the circle, whose coherence was intended to create a uniform appearance of the collection that can be alternated through the interchangeability of the individual components.