Jewelry Lovers

Wendy Ramshaw is an artist-jeweler who has been making jewelry since the late 1960s in a variety of precious and non-precious materials from paper, Perspex and wood to I8ct gold. She has stated recently that:

‘I enjoy looking at jewelry and I enjoy wearing jewelry. These are, in simple terms, the real reasons why I am an artist whose main means of expression have become the creation of jewelry.

I make objects whose function it is to decorate the human body and I am also concerned that these items can be enjoyed out of context with the human form, and have at times deliberately devised means by which this can be achieved.’ Chris Walton

She has always believed that jewelry is a response to the fundamental human need to decorate the body and has often asked questions as regards its function within society, including sexuality, status and custom, alongside its relationship to her own personal development. If this has coincided with contemporary fashion trends, this is mere coincidence rather than intention.

Her jewelry can be worn in a number of different ways. The concept of a set of individual rings all of which can be worn together in various combinations or can be worn separately is carried through to groups of brooches. Her jewelry is designed to be interchangeable and as flexible as possible, to be worn as a ‘continually variable and flexible body ornament’.

Her ring sets are particularly interesting because she has exploited features that have been taken for granted. Since the hand is far away from the main frame of the body, it does not always provide an obvious focal point and strong visual impact.

Rings have always been the commonest and most loved’ form of jewelry that represents eternal love. It is both a message and an ornament and symbolizes the celebration of events such as an engagement or marriage. It may also have other meanings that are expressive of the maker and wearer.

Picasso’s Ladies: More recent examples of Ramshaw’s jewelry has been inspired by the abstract qualities inherited from the paintings of the Spanish Cubist, Pablo Picasso. As an artist, he painted in various different guises and was obsessed with women.

These paintings have also provided invaluable source material for Wendy Ramshaw, particularly those which portray characteristic beneficence and sensual poise, such as the portraits of Marie-Therese Walter, who modelled for the artist from 1927. She has deliberately avoided those images of women which are about anger and emotional upheaval. Many of the paintings contain extremely vibrant colours and are deliniated by a complex pattern of black lines. The spiky eyelashes, striped clothing and patterned walls inspired Ramshaw’s aesthetic interests.

She has responded to the combination of the formal elements of these paintings, such as the colour, shape, line and volume, with the emotional content inherent within each portrait. She is very much a three-dimensional jeweler whose jewelry reflects similar qualities inherent in the paintings of Picasso. Her own fascination with colour and line has contributed towards the collaboration between the fine and decorative arts. In this instance, the combined associations of painting and jewelry.

It is also possible to detect more formalist elements in her work that originate from the principles of the Modern Movement (such as Constructivism). These theories have influenced the aesthetics of the arts throughout the twentieth century. This is most apparent in Ramshaw’s series of ring sets, which when not being worn, are placed back on vertical mounts, thereby resembling miniature sculptures.

Her work is less dependent on traditional craft imagery than other jewelers, possibly because of her training as an illustrator and industrial designer at Newcastle-on-Tyne College of Art. She has also been working with major manufacturers, including Wedgwood. Wendy Ramshaw emphasizes the need for her jewelry to be a starting point, and suggest further possibilities. It is almost as if each piece of material is a word or syllable within a language.

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Wendy Ramshaw Headpiece Sculpture in Gold and Semi Precious Stones