Natural Object Jewellery

The first type of organic jewellery that is mentioned in the Virtual Gallery of Contemporary Jewellery’s paper on Organic Jewellery is the use of natural objects that were once living, such as bone, leaves, shell, skins and wood to create objects of jewellery. Before precious gems and metals were discovered in prehistoric times, people adorned themselves with pieces of bone, wood, teeth and animal skins to create organic jewellery. The use of natural objects in jewellery is the oldest form of jewellery known in history. When people discovered gold and gemstones, we saw a great transformation in the way that jewellery was made, people started producing jewellery from precious materials and this became the norm. Today, the bulk of jewellery that is manufactured in the world is made out of precious metals and gems, but with the rise in contemporary jewellery artists, we begin to see more jewellery that is being made with unconventional materials including natural objects.

Hilde de Decker showing a ring wearing a green tomato. This is an example of natural objects being used in jewellery