Etsy Beginnings.

I have started a shop on Etsy, as I love the site so much. I have bought various items from Etsy and I think its a great place to buy first hand from artists, craft people and even confectioners, as I found out recently!

They have a great main page that I always find something interesting to look at with its great colour schemes and seasonal themes. Its amazing to see the high quality of work available from makers, as well as the diversity of artistic disciplines.

Its a great site because you can favourite items, which gives encouragement to the artists even if you can't afford it. You can also save the shops you love and are updated when the artists add new items to their shop.

So here's the link for my shop Rhiannon Higgins Jewellery! I hope you enjoy it, I will update with more jewellery pieces when I make them.

Here's a great video below (that my friend Silke showed me, thanks!) that explains the ethos of Etsy really well, and how buying from makers on Etsy improves our sense of community. I feel that I have definitely experienced this on the site and I believe it is a step in the right direction for all makers.

Cambridge Open Studios 2013

I have just finished my first Cambridge Open Studios event and the commission's that I received from it. I had a great time meeting people and getting instant feedback from them, to see first-hand what people thought about my work.

I also met some great makers and had some very happy customers which is always a great bonus from holding an Open Studios event.

So I have a few pictures of my display, it was such good weather over July that I held my event outside in my lovely back garden.

I did sell one of my favourite pieces (below).

I also sold the necklace I had featured in the brochure (pictured below) and had a commission to make another just like it, which I sold yesterday.

So all in all the Cambridge Open Studios was a very positive experience which I would recommend to any artists contemplating it. 

Next year I will definitely have more work to show, especially earrings, they sold so well!

In other news, I am still working at Primavera Gallery in Cambridge and if you like reading about artists, I also write Primavera's blog. You can find out about some of the fantastic makers we represent here.

My work is also sold through the gallery now and I will hopefully be adding more to the collection very soon.

Ceramic Art London 2013

I had a great time visiting Ceramic Art London, there were many of my favourite ceramicists including Peter Hayes, Tony Laverick and Chris Keenan. It was a pleasure to view some of their new pieces and chat.

As well as my established favourites I encountered a new artist Myung Nam An, her work really appealed to my interest, the pieces she was displaying were like intricate adaptations of Ernst Haeckel's Radiolaria illustrations.

Here are some examples of Heackel's drawings:

You can read more about radiolaria and Ernst Haekel's discoveries here.

Once you see Myung Nam An's ceramics you may begin to see the resemblance and I think its amazing how she applies her pieces with such an amount of immense details.

The sheer skill needed for anyone to translate Haeckel's drawings into three-dimensional form successfully must, in my view, indicate that they are a true master of their craft.

Myung Nam An at her stand at Ceramic Art London 2013.

My New Shed

I have just been given an amazing present by my family and have just had my shed renovated.

It was literally falling apart on the inside before and had asbestos in the roof, which made me reluctant to go in there.

Now it has been transformed into a beautiful workspace for me to develop more creative jewellery and finally test out the kiln I bought earlier this year.

So here is the new space:

Beautiful isn't it!!!

Now heres how I've clogged it up in 5 minute intervals.

5mins

10mins

15mins

Doesn't take me long to clutter but it is all incredibly useful stuff and I'm very excited to have this space.

I am just about to embark on a new exciting part of my jewellery career, I have just paid for my chance to participate in the Cambridge Open Studios, which I am really looking forward to.

I have substituted most of the usual materials I used in my explorations at university for Silver and precious stones.

Here a few of my new pieces:

I have been loving working with silver and have been developing forms that have an off-centre stone setting.

I will update with more pictures of pieces when I finish them.

A Fresh Start

After a great summer holiday of experiences and acquaintances, its time to move from Rochester and back to Cambridge.

Going back to where I feel most at home and to my lovely house just of Mill Road, a lively place of creativity and culture. I'm also extremely excited because I have a meeting with Jeremy Waller the Director of Primavera for a job placement. This couldn't be a better opportunity for me, as I have long considered Primavera as the best place for contemporary jewellery in Cambridge. With high standards of work from the likes of Vicki Ambery-Smith, Grainne Morton and Wendy Ramshaw.

Vicki Ambery-Smith

'Olomuc Synagogue' 

Grainne Morton

'Tree Brooch' found objects, oxidised silver.

Wendy Ramshaw

'Red Queen' 22, 18ct gold rings with garnets mounted on anodized aluminium stand. 

Primavera promotes British design and has a diverse collection of highly accomplished contemporary craft from all disciplines including ceramics, textiles, glass, wood etc. I can only hope to become a member of their team.

New Designers Degree Show

The end of university but the beginning of my personal steps to becoming a professional jeweller.

I was happy to produce 'The Burden' necklace and that it will be displayed as the face of the Contemporary Jewellery course at UCA for the next year.

New Designers was a great experience, talking to the press and public about my work was insightful to see their reactions and hear their thoughts, as well as their recommendations into other artist's work that they thought I would find interesting.

A lot of people commented on our display and how much they liked the diversity of the UCA Rochester stand and the range of materials and colours used in all our works.

Left to right:

Robyn Duplok using porcelain and thread.

Rhiannon Higgins using mixed media

Sophie Monger using mixed media

2012

The display for my pieces was perfect to enable me to talk about my concept and when I told people that both the brooches and necklaces came from the same project they were then intrigued for me to explain further.

'The Burden' necklace 2012 bone china, silver and binding wire.

I started by looking at the perfect body in society but when looking at my own culture I quickly realised how much pressure women are under to conform to a particular appearance.

This inspired me to use bone china for its brilliant white properties to create beads deprived of colour. These beads were slip cast in order to generate copies to look as similar as the first. The beads are then assembled in association. 

The presence of the necklace is felt in its mass and the pressure of its beauty is literally put onto the wearer.

Contemporary Tribal brooches 2012 mixed media

Theses brooches are the antithesis of 'The Burden' necklace they are made to stand alone. They were inspired by extreme body modification which in traditional English culture is far from the norm. The pieces have references that represent stretching, scars and piercings through stitching, wrapping and pin details.

Simply, 'The Burden' necklace is about social pressure and conformity and the brooches are expressions of individuality and freedom.

It was thrilling to talk to the owners of renowned contemporary jewellery galleries such as Marzee and Kath Libbert and great to see the work of other universities students. Now time to follow up a few contacts and start entering some competitions.