I had a conversation with young jewellery designer and founder of LORNE, Gillian Lawrence.
Gillian describes the unfortunate event of all her jewellery being stolen as the moment which opened up her design spirit to look at her work differently. Having lost jewellery which held sentimental value for her, her relationship with jewellery was no longer, “about nostalgia. It wasn’t about what my mom gave me or my grandparents gave me. It just became jewellery”. By the time her final year arrived she had dealt with the many questions floating around in her head about her craft, such as ‘Is it art?’ and ‘Why do people like it?’. LORNE was the result of this.
In the beginning Gillian was preoccupied with trying to create pieces she thought people would want, and ignored her own creative urges. This was until she decided to take a leap and give into her instincts which craved more adventurous pieces. People have reacted positively to this direction for LORNE and has given her the “freedom to just play and find my own language.”.
Having dabbled with materials such as plastic, resin and glass, Gillian explained to me (with giggle) that metals are her happy place. She mainly works with brass, copper and silver. LORNE also has a range of pieces with pearls.
Describing her designs as whimsical and playful, Gillian prefers to let the inspiration for her work happen organically. Some of her items take on quite an obvious character, while others are spur-of-the-moment, abstract pieces. As a result, she feels her designs can be appealing to anyone. “I think everyone has a level of self-expression. I mean even my mother is walking around with boobie earrings,” Gillian explained with a giggle.
Her pieces are currently available at Stocking Fabricate, Creative Revolt, Purr and Mungo & Jemima in Cape Town, or through contacting her directly.
Check out her website to check out more of her work.
