METAMORPHOSIS: FROM DISCARDED GLASS TO BEAUTIFUL PIECES OF PORTABLE ART by María Eugenia Diaz de Vivar To think that the alchemy of different types of sands subjected to high temperatures results in a hard and fragile material, such as glass is extraordinary. The first glass bottles were created by the Phoenicians for their perfumes and later, during the Roman Empire, new production methods were developed. But it was in the early 1900s that the first machine for the automation and mass production of glass containers was created to facilitate the manufacturing as we know it today. If we talk about adaptability, it is surprising to consider the possibilities of a glass bottle, a container which was not created to make artistic pieces. The bottles from the dinner table, which for years were destined for the garbage bin, then acquired value for reuse. Today, jewelers choose them for their design pieces and generate small treasures in the form of necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets in green tones, amber, light blue, blue or transparent. A pair of fern-shaped earrings, a pendant with geometric cuts, a bracelet in aquamarine and green, an ethereal flower; we can find beautiful pieces in different spaces, from art galleries, museum shops, design fairs and contemporary jewelry exhibitions. The following will introduce six contemporary artists who transform glass bottles to create incredible pieces of jewelry The "Helechos", fern-like earrings are made by lampworking pieces of a glass bottle. “Ferns are ancestral plants, one of the oldest on earth. They have adapted to different climatic changes and overcome the catastrophes that our planet has experienced. They are a symbol of resilience, a reminder that this pandemic will also come to an end”, says Catalan Nuria Torrente, creator of Nutopía. She GASNEWS
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owns a glass jewelry brand that reflects her vision and innovative contribution to a more sustainable world. Inspired by the beauty of dew drops, Nuria created the “Estela” series of rings. Each of the drops is a collection of small balls made from glass bottles. “I am fascinated by the idea of creating new work from materials that have their own history, that have had a useful life without knowing that one day they would be part of a jewel. Like an allegory of reincarnation, the metamorphosis, of a rebirth, like a phoenix, from what was considered broken and useless." Instagram: @nutopiabynuriatorrente
The “SOUL BOTTLE” collection by Beira Joyas was born in the workshop of Irene Reyes in Huelva, Spain. Irene lives with her family, in a small mountain town, which is accessed by donkey. The town is self-sustaining with electricity and the inhabitants of her community share the food they grow and harvest. Behind the jewelry pieces, there is a philosophy of ecology and a respect for life and natural cycles. “We use bottle glass in this “SOUL BOTTLE” collection, building singular jewels, taking recycled glass to the next level. Each piece is unique, having inside the jewel a single bottle’s soul” Irene Reyes Instagram: @beira_irenereyes
Photos of Nuría Torrente's work
Photos of Irene Reyes' work
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