Making of The Lagoon Collection

The Lagoon Collection is inspired by turquoise waters and minimalist design to create effortless, versatile pieces. But more than that - the Lagoon collection echoes my love of patinated surfaces, old buildings, bridges and architecture - weathered by year of rain, storms and wind. I love the stories these surfaces tell and wanted to try to recreate these layers in my jewelry.

As a child growing up in South Africa I was obsessed with old buildings and would spend hours exploring these abandoned places. As a teen this obsession turned into art when I started drawing old buildings for my high school art projects. I was drawn to the character of these forgotten places and the lives and stories they held. I have sought to combine these ideas and the weathered coloring of the metal with my now adult minimalist jewelry aesthetic.

This is a sketch I did in high school of an abandoned electrical building. It was part of my final matric art exam. I spent hours drawing this from photographs I took and then printed out.

Here’s another sketch I did the same year. I was really into drawing architecture, not so much the landscape behind it (haha).

I think this collection is also highly influenced by the turquoise waters of my homeland. No matter where you go on the coast of South Africa - you will be greeted by the most gorgeous blues of sky and sea.

This is Diaz beach - a tiny private beach right near the lighthouse at Cape Point.

This is the view of Diaz Beach from above, where you can walk along a little wooden path and see the sea below.

Typical Cape Colonial architecture and mesmerizing endless blue sky. (Photo taken on the road to Cape Point 2018)

I have spent a lot of time experimenting, trying to figure out the best way to get the effect I want on these brass earrings. Adding the patina and letting the metal react always takes time, so planning ahead with these is imperative. Also, sometimes, the patina doesn’t work, or doesn’t work on one section of the metal so it’s always a little bit of trail and error to get it exactly the way I want.

A little action shot of me sanding the metal for the River Earrings

Adding patina to the brass once it’s all soldered and ready

Close up of the River earrings patina

This just makes me want to dive right in…

One of my favorite aspects of these turquoise pieces is the unexpected nature of the patina. Each piece, once finished, will look slightly different, depending on the way the metal oxidized. To me this adds a layer of interest to a rather simple design.

I really love how simple these earrings are.

It’s the color that makes them pop.

My hope is which each of these earrings the wearer feels a little bit of that South African turquoise water magic and can carry with them the layers of untold stories in the material.