Why are diamonds and gems used in jewellery?
I explore whether there is another way
Diamonds are a girl's best friend, said Marylin Monroe. As a certified Diamond Grader, I have seen many dazzling diamonds. However, unfortunately, diamonds and gemstones also have a less brilliant side. Working conditions are often poor in mining and cutting stones, and environmental damage occurs. A consumer's high price for such a stone goes not to the miner and polisher but to intermediaries. Instead, the actual cost is paid by nature, workers and locals, who are left with the consequences of the damage.
I'm not in favour of banning gemstones. Thankfully, more and more companies are providing socially responsible and sustainable stones, which is one step in the right direction.
My project explores whether things can be done differently. Can you also make something beautiful and valuable without precious stones and precious metals? Isn't the value in jewellery, as in other artistic expressions, also in the idea and beauty?
The pierced pebbles found in the drill core sparked my imagination. I found the drill core among the rubbish of a house that was being rebuilt. The pebbles and concrete were part of a foundation. They stood firm together but became waste when they were no longer part of the foundation. Reworked as material, they regained their value.
It is my appeal to look at our relationship with nature differently.