As aspiring minimalists, why do we continue to create Jewellery?
Adornment Archive is the perfect concoction of the interests which have cemented our friendship over the years. Our minimalist values, lifestyles and hopes for the future run in parallel. Long may the love for architectural details, creating, making, minimalism and business ownership continue!
Ellen and I met on Northumbria Universities Designers in Residence Scheme in 2009. Two aspiring designers trying to launch independent furniture and product labels. The Designers in Residence scheme afforded us access to workshop facilities, creative spaces, and a crash course in business development and marketing. Running through the trials and tribulations of our first businesses together certainly made things seem a bit easier!
A passion for architecture, minimalism and craftsmanship led us to designing jewellery inspired by architectural details. A wearable part of your favourite building that you can keep forever, what could be more desirable?
During our design process we select a building which has a special meaning to us and then use one of our favourite architectural details as inspiration for a collection. All of our pieces are 3D modelled before being printed in wax and then lost wax cast in sterling silver. Each of our jewellery pieces is then lovingly hand finished and packaged in environmentally friendly packaging. Our supply chain is as ethically sourced as possible, something we strive to continue. Every element of our design process is considered and evaluated, so that it is the best it can be! With all of these things so well considered one question remains..
The inspiration for our Balconies Collection came from the staircases and balconies at the Barbican Centre.
As Aspiring Minimalists, why do we continue to create Jewellery?
For a long time, I’ve been pondering what seems like a challenging question: As aspiring minimalists, why do we strive to create more things? A minimalist way of life is to own fewer items, focusing on the possessions that are really needed and valued. Creating more things and bringing them into the world as a means of making a living seems completely opposed to the values of a minimalist.
So, why do we continue to make things?
Designing and creating products is our passion. It’s what brings us joy, meaning and purpose. It’s also what brought us together as friends and business partners. We love considering the details. All the details,not just the creative ones, including how our pieces are made, and how they are packaged. We work tirelessly to ensure that any of the materials we use has a minimal impact on the environment. We ensure that our products are ethically manufactured by a supply chain that we personally know and trust too.
“Minimalism looks different for everyone because it’s about finding what is essential to you.”
― Joshua Fields Millburn, Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life
We design our jewellery with the aim of appealing to all ages and sexes, creating pieces which can be described as ‘classic’ and ‘timeless’. Is this enough though? Afterall, we are still creating items and bringing them into the world, encouraging others to purchase jewellery from us.
Our personal, aspiring minimalist ethos when it comes to the clothing and possessions is to have fewer, good quality, classic pieces which are timeless and built to last.We have moved away from fast fashion, not just for the environmental reasons, but for the ethical ones too. We strive to be instrumental in the movement away from throw-away consumerism which has become normalised in our society. Translating this ethos into our jewellery design business ensures we aim to create classic pieces which transcend generations and are versatile, suitable for wearing on all occasions.
We want to live our lives with the notion of consuming less, but enjoying more and we want to encourage our customers to do the same. We hope our vales align with that of our customers and that we can continue to grow together!