Shimmery Shibuichi - Achieving Complex Colors - Jill Hermans Jewelry

I recently came across this beautiful

lustrous jewelry created

by Jill Hermans.
The shimmering colors drew me
as strongly as a moth to a flame;
as one's angle of viewing changes the
 nuanced colors change as well.

She achieves a compelling range of
colorful effects by applying heat to

 shibuichi, an ancient Japanese alloy

of 75% copper and 25% silver. 

There's something about   
her work that I find peaceful and relaxing;
when I read her description of her work,
 it helps to explain why:

“…..At the present time my mind is occupied with the Japanese alloy shibuichi, and Japanese ideals of beauty and truth that seem to click so well with this rich material. By juxtaposing simple shapes and forms with rich and intricate surface colours and textures I am able to create a balance between simplicity and complexity. These explorations result in playful works that push the boundaries of conventional perceptions of the material, while still staying true to the essence of the metal.”

Her textural designs contrast well
with the variegated colors and each
piece presents new, unexpected combinations.

You can see more (much, much more)

at Jill Hermans website.



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Suzan Rezac Jewelry

Some artists are renowned for their
meticulous, detail-oriented work.
Suzan Rezac is one of these artists.
She is best known for her
metal inlay work but all
of her various collections of jewelry
exhibit the highest standards of detail,
precision and quality.

Her metal inlay work features a
smorgasbord of metals and alloys,
and each contributes its own
beauty and charm to the whole.
Her jewelry can feature silver,
various carats of gold to achieve
multiple nuances of color,
bronze, brass, copper, and
alloys such as shakudo which is
comprised of roughly
4% gold and 96% copper,
and shibuichi which is usually
comprised of
25% silver and 75% copper.
These alloys are easily patinated
to allow for an increased range of
color and effect.

All of these metals are combined by the
artist and her pieces are often
comprised of several hundred
individual pieces of inlay.
The sheer amount of labor
is astounding.
The results are fantastic.

 

Her "Wreath" necklace is an excellent example
of the variety of metals that are inlaid. 
It features shibuichi,
18K red, yellow and green gold,
shakudo, copper, brass, and bronze.

 

 

 

Her "Hibiscus" pendant/brooch features silver,

shakudo, shibuichi, and 18K gold.

This necklace entitled "Seafloor" is another
of our favorites.   It features
shakudo, 18K gold, shibuichi, and silver.

This work is even more amazing when one
considers that each design has to be
created twice - once to create the
negative spaces and once again
to fill those spaces with individual
pieces of inlay.

It's a mind-bogglingly laborious
endeavor and lovely beyond measure.

We're inspired!

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