A Newcastle gallery is celebrating the new spring season with a collection of jewellery inspired by the beauty of the natural world.
The Botanical Collection, curated by The Biscuit Factory – the UK’s largest independent art, craft and design gallery – features more than 350 individual pieces of jewellery from 18 makers.
Showcasing a variety of styles, materials and techniques, the Botanical range includes collections specially created for this show. All the pieces are for sale, with some of the jewellers also offering the option for a commission.
Highlights include Lauren Bell Brown, whose dainty pieces are inspired by Grimm’s fairy-tales and are created using handcrafted wax carvings and cuttlefish castings combined with needlepoint embellishment; and Jodie Metcalfe who forages for natural items and casts her work directly from the organic object.
Award-winning jeweller John Moore, meanwhile, captures the essence of feathers and the repeating patterns of fish and plants in his decorative Flight and Elytra pieces; and Nettie Birch of nbNg makes fold formed jewellery using aluminium, copper and Sterling silver to create beautiful flowing organic shapes.
Jewellery curator Megan Collier says: “I’ve found a fantastic range of jewellers from across the UK for this spring’s thematic collection; each working very differently within the theme of botanicals and showcasing some really innovative and unusual processes.
“From Sue Gregor who uses real plants in her bright bold acrylic jewellery to Farrah Al-Dujaili’s Oddical collection made from cutting-edge 3D printing – the jewellers in this show experiment with their craft and break from traditional methods of jewellery making.”
Alongside the Botanical Collection, The Biscuit Factory’s new spring show includes a mix of contemporary paintings, prints, glass, ceramics and sculpture from more than 250 artists and runs until 20 May 2018.
For more information and to shop the Botanicals Collection, visit www.thebiscuitfactory.com