…one golden pigeon claw at a time
Tessa Metcalfe’s jewellery designs almost hypnotizes me.
But then who would not be smitten, by a jeweller who makes her jewellery pieces by incorporating real [so totally anatomically correct] pigeon claws and feet!
But perhaps more importantly, who always seems to embrace the imperfection of our modern world and finds beauty in the most unexpected places and species.
Tessa Metcalfe casts the pigeon claws (“road kills” found all over London) in silver or gold, often adds colourful gemstones, and hence this way creates her contemporary, edgy and darkly romantic jewellery. In the world of Metcalfe these, not often very well loved, urban birds transform into fascinating objects of beauty and elegance.
Urbanity
Born and raised in Hackney, London, as Tessa Metcalfe is, I do not think it is too much of a stretch to say that her aesthetic probably was shaped by this urban environment and perhaps also by her passion for antique jewellery.
Tessa Metcalfe graduated from the prestigious Sir John Cass School of Art and Design and then established her jewellery brand around 2012. Since 2016 she has her store and workshop in Clerkenwell in east London. Early in her career she refined her skills while working close to master goldsmiths in London’s historic Hatton Garden jewellery quarter.
“I think it’s important to retain a level of irony and humour when working with ridiculously expensive, emotionally charged and essentially useless objects. They can bring such pleasure, carry messages of love, pain, loss. They hold our deepest stories and fantasies, and yet always are just a small and expensive piece of metal and stone.”
Each of Tessa Metcalfe’s designs; rings, pendants, and other jewellery pieces; are handcrafted, reflecting her commitment to traditional jewellery-making techniques, while she always pursues her very own and unconventional aesthetic.
Tessa Metcalfe’s distinctive creations might seem macabre and even repulsive but I think the results – that comes from her fine, exquisite craftsmanship and one or two pigeon feet – is intricate jewellery pieces with fascinating beauty!
Want to know more about Tessa Metcalfe? Watch this interview!
All photos are borrowed from Tessa Metcalfe’s website.
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