A project about friendship, coincidental encounters and remote places; about moments worth remembering, and walking our own path surrounded by beautiful people.
The first project is a collaboration between myself and Cecilia Stein of Temple Estudio, a jewellery brand based in Punta del Diablo, a small beach town on the eastern coast of Uruguay.
In 2014, I embarked on my first solo trip. I travelled to the Spanish island of Formentera, where one day at the beach, I found a golden ring hiding in a rock pool. This ring stands as a reminder of that trip and the certainty that time alone can be important and enjoyable - a new lesson for me. It signifies acceptance, beauty and peace.
Three years later, in 2017, I began my journey back to Uruguay, where I lived as a child, having spent many years travelling in Europe. Soon after arriving, I met Cecilia, an artist whose work I fell in love with immediately. Her aesthetic and everything she stands for personally is very much aligned with my own values and projects. She is sensitive with a rich inner life. Her path is slow and considered, her steps delicate, just like those days spent alone in Formentera.
Cecilia's work is born organically and intuitively through an ongoing exploration of the natural world and the search for a sense of place, having, like me, spent many years living abroad. It is informed too by her architectural background and previous career in landscape gardening. During this time, she developed a great admiration for the balance and symbolism of the traditional Japanese garden and its particular use of rocks, water and sand to highlight the simple, raw beauty of the natural landscape.
When discussing our first collaboration, I knew that the ring from Formentera had to be a part of it. A bond to bring together our individual stories and create something new and meaningful from something so treasured. The gold from my found ring has been transformed with the addition of the most beautiful natural river pearls. Pearls which were given to Cecilia as an initiation into the world of jewellery by her dear friend and teacher, Sofia, who was gifted them herself many years ago by a relative traveling in Venezuela. These pearls have become a symbol of enduring friendship and shared crafts.
And so, two beautiful new objects were created. With both, a single pearl is supported by an elegant golden frame: delicate and sheltered, like true friendship.
Despite the great upheaval and global stress of the current pandemic, we both find ourselves at a moment of significant personal change and serenity. A moment that flows like calm water and unfolds into objects that celebrate relationships, acceptance and beauty.
