Engineering Art–A Necklace of Change

One of the more challenging aspects of jewelry art can be the engineering. Even if you are making a simple pendant, there is at least a moment or two where you should stop and consider how it is going to hang, what kind of bail or attachment it will have and how long the chain or cord should be. That is the engineering of its function as adornment. When getting into more complex necklace designs you might have to consider points at which it needs to ‘hinge’, the balance so the center stays at center, how the parts or beads will fit together, how it will sit around the neck or on the shoulders, etc., etc., etc.

There are some standard necklace designs you can always stick with, like a straight-forward string of beads or a large focal piece strung with a symmetrical arrangement of companion beads on either side. Keeping the engineering simple is often the best route. But have you tried challenging yourself with unconventional designs? Asymmetrical arrangements, unconventional hanging points and/or bails, pieces that must fit precisely together, etc.? How about a piece that can change at the whim of the wearer? Now that is a challenge.

And it’s a challenge that Cristina Almeida took up several years ago with the construction of this piece, the Infinity Necklace.

Infinity (2008)

Click on the image to open a larger window so you can better see the different ways the necklace can be worn.

In Cristina’s words, ” The Infinity Necklace is all about construction …  you can actually change the whole construction of it, add and reduce components, make it shorter or longer and it all connects with body piercing [jewelry]. The whole piece is made using polymer clay  … Kato clay for the rigid parts, Sculpey Bake&Bend clay for the flexible parts.” Besides the unique ways the necklace can be hung, it has some very intriguing beads within those intriguing bands. Beautiful and ingenious.

This really does take engineering a necklace to a whole other level. But a necklace isn’t the only thing that takes a little engineering. I thought I might spend a little time this week on that idea. I had quite a lot of fun last week with the Swirls and Curls themed posts and thought I’d try a theme again. What do you all think about posting according to themes for the week or at least part of the week? I thought I’d try it for the next few weeks and see what comes of it. Let me know if you’re enjoying them!

By the way, did you know … subscriptions and purchases of The Polymer Arts magazine are what make this blog possible? As you might have noticed, it is not plastered with ads. We may have to expand the advertising a to help with increasing costs but I’d like to keep it to a minimum, so if you enjoy this blog and aren’t already a subscriber, do consider supporting it with a subscription or issue purchases. And you’ll get even more in-depth and inspiring information in The Polymer Arts magazine. Its a win-win-win for us all!

Sage

2 Comments

  1. Debbie G on April 22, 2013 at 9:12 pm

    Wow. The thought in the construction and reconstruction and design is amazing. And every surface of this necklace has something to draw the eye.
    I’ve been thinking about this, the engineering of a piece of jewelry, and how it will wear. It’s the thought that goes into making a pin that doesn’t hand oddly when fastened to the material. I love necklaces that have asymmetrical beading, even just strung on one long cord. But I wonder how it would wear? Why wouldn’t the larger/focal beads just weight the necklace as you move so that they end up at the ‘bottom?’ I find myself annoyed with necklaces that are a pendant on a length of some sort, where the fastening ends up in the front – how to I work to eliminate that? And bracelets with fasteners – often the fastener is the lightest part – which end up on the top of the wrist, the thing most seen.
    These problems gnaw at my thoughts of construction…
    Debbie G



    • Sage on April 22, 2013 at 9:18 pm

      You and me both (and many other I am sure!) I think I’ll write out some of my solutions and see if I can’t find a few others for out next newsletter. (Sign up for the newsletter on the magazine’s home page if you don’t get it yet … http://www.thepolymerarts.com)



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