Jewelry
New And Old: A Reflection Of Nature's Cycles
As many of my art projects are inspired by nature, this project has too been inspired by nature. Combined with the opposites of new and old as a starting point for my project, I wondered what I would be able to find in nature that would represent both sides of a single coin. The Arctic Glass Sponge known as Euplectella, is the oldest living creature to have ever been found on this planet; scientists believe that they can survive up to 15,000 years. Shrimp-like crustaceans use these sponges as shelter from other prey and live out their entire lives inside of them. A male and female will breed and when their offspring are still small, they will leave the sponge to go on to find sponges of their own to call home. Once they get bigger, they are stuck inside of the sponge to live out the rest of their lives. The sponges and the shrimp survive off of their mutualistic symbiotic relationships, in continuous cycles of old and new.
With my project, I have decided to reflect on the top of the sponge with its hole-like structure and intricate designs created in silver to reflect the delicacy of the Euplectella. The stone I have chosen to use is a sunstone, mimicking the coloration of the shrimp-like crustaceans that inhabit the sponges. With a bezel set, it poetically hints at the beauty of the harmonic relationship between the two creatures, forever fixed in place, unable to move, yet complimentary to the structure that keeps it safe.