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Meaningful Heart Jewelry Skartgripir by Britta schwalm

Meaningful Heart Jewelry Skartgripir by Britta schwalm is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2017 A' Design Award í járni in Skartgripahönnun Competition Category.


JárnSkartgripir· 2017

Meaningful Heart Jewelry Skartgripir

by Britta schwalm

Client: Britta Schwalm

A' Design Award í járni Winner in Skartgripir Category

Colors

The Design

About Meaningful Heart Jewelry Skartgripir

There ert a einhver fjöldi af skartgripum bera minningar um fjölskyldu eða atburði. Þeir eru orðnir gamaldags síðan, en eru of ómetanlegir og elskaðir til að selja. Þeir eru oft lagðir í skartgripakassann. Þroskandi hjartaskartgripir eru venjulega hengiskraut sem ber að vera annað hvort á hálsmeni, stundum sem heilla, brooch eða lyklahaldari. Þetta er nýtt skartgripi í nýju formi en það varir enn allar tilfinningar og minningar. Það er án efa gert úr hinu elskaða gamla gulli sem Brittas Schmiede var treyst fyrir. Það er hjartabræðsluhugtak.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award í járni

Meaningful Heart Jewelry Skartgripir vann A' Design Award í járni, virta viðurkenningu sem veitt er góðum hönnunarverkum sem uppfylla þær faglegu og iðnaðarlegu kröfur sem gerðar eru til vel hannaðra sköpunarverka. Sigurvegarar í járni sýna mikla færni, mikla sérhæfingu, sérfræðiskilning og skapandi getu höfunda sinna. Þess er vænst að Meaningful Heart Jewelry Skartgripir sé mjög metið, dáð og elskað sköpunarverk sem er hagnýtt og nýstárlegt. Þetta hönnunarverk sem vann A' Design Award í járni sameinar bestu starfsvenjur greinarinnar og hefur hæfa tæknilega eiginleika tengda þekkingu og hæfileikum. Meaningful Heart Jewelry Skartgripir er virt fyrir nákvæmni sína og er hannað til að veita lífsgæðabætur sem hjálpa til við að gera heiminn að betri stað.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties
Meaningful Heart jewelry is usually a pendant to be worn either on a necklace, sometimes as a charm, a brooch or key holder. It is melted from old pieces of jewellery. Pieces with strong memories attached, but not wearable because of shape or constitution. The result of the melting process is a heart shaped pendant, solid gold, with a smooth or rough surface, depending on the customers wishes. It is still full of emotions and memories and it is without fail the e.g. wedding ring of grandma.
Dimensions & Packaging
Depending on the amount of material a melted heart measures approx. 5 mm to 5 cm in diameter.
It is above-mentioned to have a rough melted surface.
Tags
Meaningful, Heart, jewelry, gold, preloved, sustainable, recycling, up cycling, reused, pendant, key ring, charm,
Production Technology
The gold has to be analyzed, to make sure it is gold. Thereafter it will be arranged in a heart shaped form on my melting place. I put the fire on it and heat it up all-over till it starts melting. With a little stick the fluid gold can be arranged. Then I cool it down in some water. Then I polish the surface to a smooth or rough finish. If there is a piece of jewellery which should stay untouched, I construct a wire or panel, to get a heart shape, with the precious untouched piece e.g. inside.
Design Challenge
The challenge in this project is to recognise the ideas of a person, not used to think about the shape of a jewellery and reach this ideas so that the customer feel Yes, that's it. The second challenge is to create a design which is close resembles a love heart, while avoiding to bee cheesy or appearing too chunky.
Research
The pieces consist of preloved gold or silver and of diamonds or precious stones which were part of the jewelry melted for this project. The material of the pendant is 100 percent recycled gold or silver. The environmental savings: No new material has to be mined. All of it is already there and usually at least 20 years old. There is a saving of poisonous chemicals, which are usually required in recycling gold. These chemicals are not needed in my process, as the gold is only re-shaped.
Inspiration
First step into this direction was an event called Goldrausch - gold fever. Visitors were invited to bring their old silver or gold items and melt a nugget by themselves. Once a client came and sought advice about what to make out of her preloved gold. She didn't want to sell it, as it had belonged to her grandma, but she could not wear it. I remembered gold fever and asked her to make it to a heart shaped melted nugget. The result was a beautiful little golden heart, which my client loved.
Project Duration
First gold fever-event took place in early 2010. After yet another gold fever in November 2014, the idea appeared to take off and I implement the Heart of preloved gold option on my website and in my goldsmith's shop. In February 2016 I was invited to give a demonstration of my Meaningful Heart jewelry live in the TV show Hallo Hessen. In March 2016 I registered the website Herz-aus-Altgol.de
Operation Flow
There exist a lot of jewelleries carrying memories. They have become old-fashioned since, but are too special to be sold and are tucked away in the jewellery box. As a Heart of preloved gold the jewelleries can be worn. In a new look, but the material still carrying the memories. It is much more cost efficient than buying something new. The only money to be paid is for my work. And, my benefit: I love this special glance in the eyes when the customers pick up their completed jewelry.

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