A new contemporary jewellery space ranging exclusively designed and collectable pieces has opened within the NGV design store. The in-shop concept features limited edition works by local and International practitioners who have partnered with global contemporary jewellery galleries to produce the collections.
The exciting new space has opened with a special NGV collaboration between the gallery, esteemed designer Mary Featherston and contemporary Melbourne jeweller Blanche Tilden. The pieces have all been delicately hand-crafted using coloured, gold and clear glass elements originally made in the 1940s by Mary’s husband and collaborator, iconic furniture designer Grant Featherston, preserved for decades in the Featherston archive, and appearing for the first time in this collection.
The new space will highlight emerging contemporary Australian practitioners, with designers having drawn inspiration from naturally occurring formations, including the geological and crystalline inspired Geo-Alchemy collection by Aimee Fairman, and Christel van der Laan’s one-off design honeycomb ceramic brooch and earrings.
With the focus firmly on Australian designers, a special retail partnership has formed between the NGV design store and Pieces of Eight, one of Australia’s leading contemporary jewellery galleries, to present the work of celebrated jewellers Seb Brown, Melanie Katsalidis and Peta Kruger.
Other designers have drawn inspiration from the current glittering jewellery exhibition Italian Jewels: Bulgari Style, including the new Pirdy collection of earrings focusing on Bulgari’s silver and emerlad shimmering colour palette, and Adelaide designer Lisa Furno’s playful and creative reinterpretation of the sparkling jewels once worn by Elizabeth Taylor.
The Contemporary Jewellery space will also put a spotlight on international designers including a collaboration with the Amsterdam based gallery, Galerie Ra, presenting the work of experimental jewellery designers that challenge traditional jewellery practice, made from nylon threads that create lightweight 3D pieces and an exclusive silver pendant designed by Paul Derrez, the original founder of Galerie Ra.
A range of New Zealand designers and makers who have repurposed the costal, rural and urban environments of their home country into contemporary jewellery pieces, including key designs by Marty Curtis, Jennifer Laracy, and Nadene Carr, as well as many others.
The Contemporary Jewellery space is an ongoing retail initiative open now at the NGV design store, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne. For more information or to shop online, please visit NGV’s website.
Pictured at top: Vicki Mason. Photo: NGV All images supplied.
The Garb Wire 