Friday 2 October 2009

Introducing... Emma Sher

This week, meet one of COUNTER's newest stockists, Melbourne-based jeweller Emma Sher. A recent graduate, Emma's seriously covetable jewellery is a contemporary exploration of agate, crystals and pearls. Emma begins her creative process by focusing on the qualities of the materials - their geometry, colour and tactile qualities - and you can see the fruits of her labour in the images below.

Without further ado, happy reading and happy Friday everyone!


About me…
I have always been creative and loved jewellery, so after working at a fashion accessory company I thought I would try my hand at jewellery through a short course. I then enrolled into TAFE, which led me to complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Gold and Silversmithing at RMIT.


About the materials I use…
Faceted stones reflect my love of anything sparkling, and I love colour! I try to turn agate into something more special than it has been perceived as before. I focus on how the special combination of elements relate to each other, and the way in which they can be transformed into a unique piece of jewellery. Careful thought is given to the construction of each piece and the way it sits on the body.

My other range of jewellery Chrystallization is the geometric imagery of the internal crystal system of gems, etched onto precious metals.

I find gemstones are so prevalent in a large amount of jewellery, both traditional and contemporary, I am just trying to look at them in a different way.


About my solo show at Charles Smith Gallery (3 March – 4 April 2009)…
My exhibition Progression, revealed my gradual transformation from my early years of study and design into a professional jeweller. It also expressed my growth as an artist. Initially I didn’t have a theme for my exhibition, which was great as I could go forward freely... however, along the path of creation, I realised that Progression held another meaning… the progression from piece to piece. Each work became a further refinement of what had been learnt from creating the one preceding it.

The greatest challenge that I encountered was getting everything together on time in line with my vision- from the invitations to the setup, to of course the jewellery itself. My greatest achievement was producing a successful exhibition with a total of fifty new works.


I get inspired to create when…
I get excited when I come across some new precious beads, pearls or interesting gems… I group them together and explore design concepts.


And when I encounter a creative obstacle…
Sometimes if I’m not getting anywhere I need to leave the studio and go on the hunt for something to inspire me... my studio is near Smith Street so I go and have a look in some lost and found shops, or go into the city to look in galleries.




My favourite work would be…
That is a really hard question! By the time I have completed a piece I have a ‘connection’ with it, I sort of get attached and want to keep it!

One of my first agate works was a mauve agate pearl and sapphire necklace. I tried to give it to a gallery to sell, but I just couldn’t do it! I also think it’s important to keep one of the first pieces you make, as a reminder of how far you have come.

My latest favourite is a white agate, blue lace agate and silver necklace.





In the future…
I am continuing on with the agate range for some retail galleries, I love making them. I am focusing on some earrings for this range too. There will be some new pieces in the Chrystallization range also. I have an idea for my next exhibition, but it’s all under the hat at the moment!



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