Invited to Look In

Sterling Silver | 14 karat Yellow Gold | Rutilated Quartz | Pearls | Hair

Invited to Look In is a hand fabricated brooch which takes elements of Victorian era mourning jewellery while incorporating elements of my Filipino heritage. For instance instead of forget-me-knots, sampaguitas take their place while the nine leaves on the sampaguita stem  represent the nine days of mourning and prayer. The form in its entirety draws reference to the era as oval motifs and locket forms were heavily used. My grandmother’s hair is set behind the gold rutilated quartz. The choice of this gemstone was to disguise the hair and have the viewer admire the stone for its gold and black rutile to only then discover its hair.