Niamh Ireland Portfolio

Niamh Tiera Ireland Jeweller

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Artist Statement Exploring relationships between nature, art and society, this series of objects presents an almost unique diversity of colour, pattern, materials, and forms. Capturing such ‘endless forms’ (Darwin, 1859), these jewellery designs reflect an interest in decorative styles that are often associated with nineteenth-century interiors, panoramic botanical wallpapers and prints, and heavily bejewelled clothing and jewellery, characteristic of historical revivals.

The practice presented here pushes these materials to their limits, encouraging shapes that are organic and chaotic in quality, echoing the dissidence of nature.

https://www.instagram.com/niamh.tiera.design/

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In the process, the maker steps away, almost acting as a spectator, intervening only when necessary. Techniques that are applied are non-traditional, and the pieces play with precious and non-precious materials, sometimes, subtly suggesting weight, while at other times, highlighting the preciousness of the organic. The objects are intended to question the notion of value in jewellery, pairing silver alongside aluminium; the introduction of this unexpected material is to attract, and make accessible, a range of contemporary pieces to viewers and clients. The objective is to encourage those who are familiar with fine jewellery to experience unusual and less precious creations, just as Arts and Crafts predecessors proposed, as a form of sustainable practice, over a century ago.

Table of Contents Artist Statement

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ZOO Mask 04 GCDC Competition 06 Inspiration 10

Portflio of Finished and Proposed Designs 14

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ZOO Mask Brief: Make an animal face mask. Find out what kind of animal you are. This can be your astrological sign or an animal with which you relate. Discover the essence of what connects you to this animal. It is important to create a strong three-dimensional form that relates this essence in your mask.

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GCDC Competition

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The Brief - A Brighter Future We all recognise, applaud and admire the countless heroes and heroines who have assisted us throughout the lockdown and beyond but equally, reflect on the tragedy of losing many loved ones. Central to fighting Covid-19 is our National Health Service (NHS), an appreciation of which has been identified by the rainbow motif in the windows of many homes and businesses as an abiding symbol of hope, strength and determination to fight and overcome the pandemic.

Therefore, we invite you to examine colour, in all its glory and diversity, as the starting point for the design of a piece of smallwork. Your proposal should seek to reflect and celebrate the NHS as well as the other key workers working selflessly for a recovery and a bright future. Your design doesn’t have to have a practical purpose or use, it could be something ornamental that serves as a commemoration of this period in history through the lens described above.

To help you focus on colour please feel free to use whatever materials you would like in conjunction with precious metals. The object you design should give off a fun, colourful and optimistic vibe.

Please remember the origins of smallworking as you seek to incorporate elements of fun, colour and a bright future in your design. GC&DC’s short definition of smallwork is: typically, smaller scale work made in precious metals. These can include intricate mechanisms, hidden features and elaborate surface decoration.

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Inspiration

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William Morris and The Arts & Crafts Movement

William Morris

William Morris is best known as the 19th century’s most celebrated designer, but he was also William Morris is best known as the 19th century's most celebrated designer, but he was a driven polymath who spent much of his life fighting the consensus. A key figure in the Arts also a driven polymath who spent much of his life fighting the consensus. A key figure in & Crafts Movement, Morris championed a principle of handmade production that didn’t the Arts & Crafts Movement, Morris championed a principle of handmade production that chime with the era’s focus onon industrial didn't chime withVictorian the Victorian era's focus industrial‘progress’. 'progress’.

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Colour In Nature

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Portfolio of Finished and Proposed Designs

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The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love colour the most.

- John Ruskin

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Item 01 - Reinvigorate Necklace Inner Diameter 150mm Outer Diameter 350mm

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Brass, Anodised Aluminium

To reinvigorate means to give new strength or energy to something. This piece is not only inspired by seeds in nature and thier ability to invigorate life, but how my own inspiration was reinvogorated following a period of enervation.

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Item 02 - Strung Up Necklace Inner Diameter 150mm Outer Diameter 350mm

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Brass, Anodised Aluminium, Waxed Cotton Cord, magnets

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Item 03 - Winding Necklace Inner Diameter 150mm Outer Dimameter 350mm Brass, Anodised Aluminium

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Item 04 - Disperse Statement Ring Size M Setting 50mm x 50mm Brass, Anodised Aluminium

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This piece is inspired by the dispersal of seeds in the wind. As you put your hand out to catch a dandilion seed as it blows by, this pieces is reprasenative of a group of seeds settling on your hand and taking root around your fingers.

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Item 05 - Winding (Developed) Necklace Inner Diameter 150mm x 200mm Total Length 300mm Brass, Anodised Aluminium This piece has been stripped down to its structural, skeletal, scaffholding. Similar to that of a climbing vine, the leaves have been stripped away to reveal the powerful tendrils that hold it together.

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This piece uses an integrated hook and eye catch and has a slinky like quality,allowing flexibility so that the wearer can bend it open and slide it on.

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Item 06 - Claw Set Necklace Length 520mm

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Item 07 - Domed Sample

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Brooch Proposal 70mm x 50mm

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Item 08 - Domed Sample 02 Pin Proposal 30mm x 30mm

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Item 09 - Domed Necklace Proposal Length 520mm

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Item 09 - Flowers in the Sun Necklace Proposal Gold, Anodised Aluminium

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Inner Diameter 150mm Outer Diameter 350mm

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Item 10 - Torn Fragments 01

Item 11 - Torn Fragments 02

Necklace Proposal

Necklace Proposal

Gold, 150mm x 200mm

Gold, Anodised Aluminium, 150mm x 200mm

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Item 12 - Torn Fragments 03

Item 13 - Torn Fragments 04

Necklace Proposal

Necklace Proposal

Gold, Anodised Aluminium, 150mm x 200mm

Silver, Anodised Aluminium, 150mm x 200mm

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Item 14 - Layered Fragments Necklace Proposal Gold, Anodised Aluminium

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This piece is secured with a strong magnetic catch and is intended to feel large and oppulent.

David Leøng - https://www.pexels.com/@david

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Item 15 - Spiral Necklace Anodised Aluminium, Silver The aluminium has been rolled and curled into open tubes which have been threaded onto spiral ended connections. This necklaces can be as short or as long as desired as all of the elements are detchable.

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Item 16 - ‘Stone Set’ Anodised Aluminium, Sterling Silver This piece is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional statement, stone set ring. Here I have removed the ring from the setting, replaced it with coloured aluminium and off-set the aluminium back onto the setting.

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Item 17 - ‘Mother of Pearl’ Ring Anodised Aluminium, Sterling Silver Fragment of rolled aluminium, leaving the surface split and cracked, allowing the gilmmers of the metalic silver to shine through. Raised on tube stilts as to sit away from the finger to give the impression of depth.

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Everything that you can see in the world around you presents itself to your eyes only as an arrangement of patches of different colors.

- John Ruskin

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Item 18 - Torn Paper Brooch Anodised Aluminium, Sterling Silver, Steel Roll printed between scrunched paper to echo the qualities of old torn wallpaper

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Item 19 - Fragments Cluster Brooch Proposal Anodised Aluminium, Sterling Silver, Epoxy Putty, steel wire Diameter - 80mm

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Item 20 - Full Body Necklace Proposal Anodised Aluminium, Sterling Silver 250mm x 1200mm

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Item 21- Reversable décolletage Brooch Gold, Anodised Aluminium 150mm x 250mm Inspired by the movement and textures of draped textiles

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The rooch pin sits loosely wihin the structural tube, allowing the wearer to rotate the pin so that the piece can be worn in accordance with the wearers prefernces.

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Item 22 - Reversable Segment Brooch Gold, Anodised Aluminium 70mm x 700mm Inspired by the movement and texture of draping textiles

Daria Shevtsova https://www.pexels.com/@daria

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Item 23 - ‘Pearl’ Necklace Silver, Anodised Aluminium, Waxed Cord Length 40mm

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Item 24 - Fragmented Petal Necklace Silver, Silver Tube, Anodised Aluminium Length 40mm

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Item 25 - Layered Fragmented Petal Necklace Anodised Aluminium, Silver, Silver Tube, Magnets When roll printed the aluminium naturally becomes curved, and is often too brittle to dramtically reshape. Working with this natural curvatre, this design is a layered necklace. By layering the curves, it creates a feeling of depth, making the piece feel more three-dimensional.

The neklace is fastened using a magnetic catch concealed within the silver tube.

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Niamh Tiera Ireland Jeweller

https://www.instagram.com/niamh.tiera.design/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/niamh-tiera-ireland-1017a5195/

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