The Alchemical Wedding

by

Now that school has come to a close for the summer I finally have time to share what I've been working on. The following are images and my artist's statement for my final project. 


 Metalwork is alchemical in its very nature. The transmutation of raw material to a refined form through the creation of jewellery is a symbolic act that represents integration of self-knowledge. Not only is each piece of jewellery the result of a process but each piece also stands for a stage of the Alchemical Work that ultimately culminates in the union of opposites or The Alchemical Wedding. I use keum-boo, a technique that creates a permanent diffusion bond between 24 karat gold and fine silver, to literally “wed” gold to silver. In a tangible and symbolic way, this satisfies my desire to create art that embodies human relationships, our relationships to our selves as individuals, and how these relationships transform us.


 “By themselves they are dissolved and by themselves they are brought together, that they which are two may be made one body.”
-Rosarium Philosophorum


Materials

Copper/silver alloy
Liver of Sulfur
Sterling silver
Fine silver
24k gold foil
Rainbow Moonstone
Garnet
Citrine