Gems from recycled plastic bags and packaging
Left: setting lost-wax-cast in ancient bronze
Right: setting fabricated in brass
The current generation of works for the upcoming collection will feature pieces set in yellow gold
Examples of the hundreds pieces of Polyethylene I’ve collected from which I create plastic gems
Polyethylene is the most commonly produced plastic. All of my “gems” are comprised of only HDPE (#2) or LDPE (#4) which stand for high density or low density polyethylene. This plastic is safe to work with at its melting point.
Examples from my most recent batch of plastic cabochons. (I am setting these in yellow gold!)
I used a silhouette die and hydraulic press to create elements for my handmade cabochon mold into which the melted plastic dough is pressed
They were my proof of concept prototypes confirming my technique.
Each is gilded to create the effect of being set in metal and are paired with vintage chains and findings
These five are my first generation of works.