Keywords: 18 ct, 9 ct, alison wheeldon, australia, gemstones, jewellery, metal casting, metals, necklace, new south wales, sydney, natural, pink sapphires, rubies, synthetic

Lacqueus

Alison Wheeldon

Dimensions

300 x 350 x 10 mm

Materials

Necklace: cast lace with 18 ct yellow gold, 9 ct yellow gold, fine silver, onyx, natural pink sapphires, natural rubies and synthetic rubies

Artist statement

‘I grew up in rural Australia, in a beautiful, stark landscape. Visual images of couture culture felt so removed from this country life. It was in this landscape that my father’s mother created handmade lace. The pieces were delicate, precious and made with great skill. Her art appeared to be a celebration of femininity, dedication and love.

With my work I aim firstly to celebrate my grandmother’s life and the traditions of craft within our family, and secondly to create jewellery for a world other than my own — one of opulence and high fashion.

I discovered a casting technique that could capture the once delicate and fragile pieces of lace and transform them into more lasting materials of gold and silver. This technique offers me a way of uniting my passion for fine art, fashion and traditional jewellery and is also, in many ways, an experiment in preservation.’