Built, Not Decorated: Why Structure Matters in Jewellery
A lot of jewellery starts with a symbol or single decorative element.
A shape is chosen like a heart, a flower or something recognisable — and then attached to a chain or a hoop. The focus is on what’s added to the piece like a charm, rather than the overall shape of the piece.
There’s nothing wrong with that, it's just not what I consider "design". But it does mean the end pieces feel interchangeable. Swap that element, and you have a different piece. Remove it, and there’s often not much left.
I’ve never worked that way. For me, a piece starts with structure. How it sits on the body, how it connects, how it moves. The form isn’t something added at the end — it’s built from the beginning. If you remove a decorative element from a design, the piece that remains should still hold its integrity.
The human form is always part of the design process. Jewellery exists in relation to the body — how it sits, how it moves, and where it is placed. These decisions shape the piece from the start, rather than being considered afterwards.
When a piece is built for the body, that relationship becomes part of the design itself.
The Lovelock Interlocking Ring Set was designed as a convertible piece. One ring can be worn alone for a more minimal, everyday option. Add the second, and the form shifts into something more substantial.
The two rings slide into each other, creating a single structure from two independent parts.
It isn’t a ring with something added to it.
It is the result of how it is built.
Structure can also introduce a different kind of complexity — one that isn’t about detail, but about composition.
The Landslide Neckpiece explores this through a series of rectangular and square elements that hang at slightly different angles. The forms appear almost chaotic at first, but the overall composition remains linear and controlled.
Each component moves independently along the chain, so the piece is never completely static. It shifts with the body, creating a changing composition rather than a fixed one.
What might initially read as disorder is a tricky balance between complete chaos and perfect order. That tension is where the piece finds its form.
This idea carries through to the Jumble Drop Earrings, where smaller rectangular elements stack at varying angles. The effect feels irregular, but the underlying geometry keeps it intentional.
There’s no added symbol. Just form, proportion and movement.
Each decision is intentional — how the piece is made, how it sits, how it moves with the body.
The result isn’t decoration. It’s structure.
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