Square Studs, 2018

<p>London-based Catherine Martin was the first ever westerner to graduate in Kumihimo – the ancient Japanese art of braiding. The designer-goldsmith later developed the Asian art into a painstaking weaving of fine gold wire by hand. The resulting silken jewels are breathtaking in their sensual play of light and form.</p> <p>As a professional musician and singer, Martin allows the fluidity of music to influence her pieces. Each design element flows with finesse from her instinctive response to sound and rhythm. Displaying a subtle sheen, somewhere between matt and shine, and an ancient, meditative quality, her jewels possess an intensity which contrasts with their softness and intricacy.</p> <p>Martin comments, “I like working with gold. I love the colour and sensuality but above all the timelessness…the thought of continuing a tradition of using this beautiful material which has been used for adornment for centuries. I hand braid fine gold wire which gives a particular and unique lustre that is soft and shimmers as it moves.”</p>