Long Ruffled Necklace, 2021

This piece is borne from the development of Nicola's first production line of jewellery which explores the use of fine silver sheet metal as fabric.

Nicola learnt how to make chain at the Australian National University's (then) Gold and Silversmithing workshop in 2018. The chain necklace is a significant form of jewellery for Nicola, having inherited a long steel chain necklace from her mother, an 18th birthday gift from her father in 1960s Denmark. 

With COVID-19 forcing the closure of the workshop in 2020, Nicola switched from wire to sheet metal, exploring its materiality in her home studio. Recalling her teenage sewing hobby, Nicola tucked and folded metal, choosing fine silver because of its delicacy and slight malleability.

As her collection of production line earrings was finalised, Nicola continued to experiment with sheet metal in a way that suggested the movement and folds of fabric. This piece—Long Ruffled Necklace—is the result of that experimentation. The length and use of chain evokes memories of her mother’s necklace, into which she has integrated her self-expression through the use of fine silver sheet as fabric. This piece symbolises both Nicola's history and future as a maker.