Antonia Pascale – co-founder of British jewellery brand Pascale James – admits that it was while tucking into a healthy snack that design inspiration struck. ‘I was peeling an orange in the studio one day, when I was attracted to the shape and texture of the discarded rind. I started to reimagine it in metal, as an earring.’ So began a process of analysing fruits and their various parts, from the seeds of a pomegranate to the indentations particular of figs. ‘We started experimenting, hand carving various fruit parts out of wax before casting them in metal,’ notes her design partner Christopher James.
Pascale James prefers to work with recycled sterling silver, so the very notion of immortalising fruit waste in a precious and enduring way struck a chord. ‘Whether it’s half-eaten cherries or an unripe lemon, we wanted to create a story about what people may perceive to be desirable or not,’ says Pascale. ‘Real beauty can be found in something that’s seemingly worthless.’
‘Pear Top’ earrings in recycled solid silver
The Re-Imagine collection consists of tactile necklaces, earrings, bracelets and objets that take the form of fruits in various states of decay. Standout designs include a pair of 22-ct gold vermeil orange segments, while a dimpled sterling silver cuff imitates a luscious spiral of orange zest. ‘Some pieces are more abstract than others,’ says James. ‘The concept is playful, but the pieces have to be easily wearable too.’
Their biggest design challenge was achieving the right proportions. ‘We both love working on a larger scale, so making things smaller was probably the most difficult part of the design process,’ admits James. Ensuring that each piece has a certain density was equally important. ‘Jewellery has to feel satisfyingly voluminous to wear too,’ opines Pascale.
Left, ’Fig’ earrings. Right, ’Hanging Orange Segment’ earrings, both in recycled solid silver
Left, ’Large Lemon Slice’ hair tie. Right, ’Orange Peel’ cuff, both in 22-ct vermeil
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Pascale James website
-
‘Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style’ at Design Museum interrogates the loaded history of swimwearCurator Amber Butchart speaks to Wallpaper* about the Design Museum’s latest exhibition, which explores the cultural impact of swimwear – from Pamela Anderson’s bombshell ‘Baywatch’ one-piece to those made for sports, leisure or fashion statement
-
The Frick Collection's expansion by Selldorf Architects is both surgical and delicateThe New York cultural institution gets a $220 million glow-up
-
Come as you are to see Kurt Cobain’s acoustic guitar on show in the UK for the first timeKurt Cobain’s acoustic guitar goes on display at the Royal College of Music Museum in London as part of an exhibition exploring Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance
-
Art takes London: Tiffany & Co, Damien Hirst and artists take over Selfridges' windowsFour British contemporary artists celebrate Tiffany & Co's pioneering history with a series of storied window displays
-
Late summer jewels: what to wear at Golden HourLate summer signals a jewellery style-shift. These independent designers have got it covered
-
All smiles: How a grillz jewellery making class in London became an international hitWhat started as a passion project quickly exploded in popularity. We get the story behind the grillz-making workshop at Cockpit London
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to knowThese independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
-
Jewellery designers share their most precious personal piecesA host of jewellers give us a peek at the jewellery which brings them joy and solace
-
Playing it cool: pearls are having a momentWe've been deep-diving into boutiques around the world to find the very best calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form. It seems jewellers have been busy rethinking pearls, with contemporary (and often affordable) results
-
Eternity rings for the modern coupleEternity rings, whether sleekly minimalist or sprinkled in diamonds, can be a chic and contemporary love token
-
Hair jewellery to covet and collectToday’s hair jewellery is both practical and pretty. We're pinning our hopes on these simple and elegant accessories
