TO HAVE AND TO HOLD

Suggestive of a 19th Century vinaigrette, a small container, usually encasing smelling salts and secured to a ring on a chain, this piece is a contemporary take on mourning jewellery. A small vessel to be held in the palm of your hand, a conduit for memories.

The ring and vessel are encrusted with hundreds of granules, a laborious soldering task, but one that provided time for contemplation. As each granule made its way on to the vessel it became apparent that the object would become quite heavy, a metaphor for weighty memories that can sometimes attach themselves to our psyche and become part of our story.

The significance of linking a ring to the encrusted vessel denotes our connection to one another, to history and to the natural landscapes we occupy. Our lives are intertwined, our memories are all so similar, we collect our memories through the objects we surround ourselves with and the people that inhabit our lives.

This piece is something I leave behind, a memory of a moment in time at my bench, with my thoughts and ideas cut, hammered, soldered, filed, sanded and formed into an object.

Patinated 925 silver

Contemporary Wearables 2025, Excellence Award

Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery Permanent Collection

Image credit: Jo Armstrong