Jewelry Lovers

Paper is inexpensive, versatile, easily accessible and, above all, lightweight, which is why it is fast becoming such a popular medium for contemporary jewellery designers to work with. Today, there is renewed interest in paper-making generally. In the past, the paper-making process was a means of recycling a material whose time-consuming and limited production made it expensive. Today, with recycling once again at the forefront of our minds (only this time with the emphasis on the deforestation of the rainforests), paper craft is very much in vogue. Paper is not only an environmentally friendly craft material, it is also a money-saver because most of the materials needed for making paper jewellery can be found in the home.

Papier mache is the most recognized paper craft technique, but for jewellery paper can be used in other ways. Lesser known, but just as effective, techniques include laminating and origami. The lightweight and malleable properties of paper suit the current European trend for jewellery that works with the body as a “body sculpture”, rather than just as ornamentation. Julia Manheim’s papier mache bangle, which stretches from wrist to arm, exemplifies contemporary “body sculpture”.

Jewellers who work with paper strongly advocate its chameleon-like qualities, for a piece of paper can be transformed to look like many different elements. Paper can be made to imitate resin, wood, plastic, marble or even highly polished brass. It can also he embedded with stones, found objects and beads. With a little imagination and skill, it can be used in all sorts of ways to produce jewellery of any shape or size, for relatively little cost.

Papier mache

Literally translated as “chewed paper“, or arguably as “mashed paper“, papier mache is the most familiar of all paper art forms. Invented in China in the 2nd century AD, the art of pulping and moulding paper caught on in the West during the 18th century. The French made it a commercially viable art form and the trend took off in England, where production was at its greatest. Soon even the Russians began to emulate English designs. In 1883, papier mache proved its worth as a jewellery material, when the first-ever watch to be constructed from paper was created in Germany.

During the 19th century, papier mache was used widely in Britain and the United States to make a variety of common household objects — many homes still possess one of the ubiquitous flower-decorated trays. By the 1920s, a surplus of papier mach6 products on the British market and the popularity of the new “electro-plated” goods marked the end of the papier mache boom. But today, after a long period out of favour, papier mache is once again popular.

The traditional methods upheld by rural communities in Kashmir, Mexico and Japan are still employed by contemporary Western designers, but adaptions have been introduced for faster and easier production

There are two main papier mache techniques — pulping and layering. The first involves the mashing of paper with water, which is then put into a mould or made into a solid shape; the second involves roughly tearing strips of paper and wrapping them around a mould, then pasting and drying each layer. The pulping method entails more preparation than the layering technique, but needs drying only once. Layering is the most widespread method and is based on the gradual accumulation of paper; the finished product is more fragile than a pulped piece.

Lynette Garland, whose jewellery is featured overleaf, uses the pulped method. Although you can use any kind of paper for this process, Lynette uses tissue paper soaked overnight and then heated for 20 minutes on a stove. She prefers to mix the paper, PVC or white glue and chalk or whiting in a food blender, but you can combine the ingredients in an ordinary mixing bowl. (Wallpaper paste or flour blended with water can be used instead of a PVC or white glue.) The substance is then poured into a greased mould (usually made from plaster of Paris or clay) and left to dry for two days. Once it is hardened and completely dry, the papier ‘niche shape is removed from the mould and smoothed with a file to remove any rough edges.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Working with Paper