1 0 Q U E ST I ONS WI T H
Kim Victoria Jewels
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esigner Kim Victoria Wearne draws inspiration from the starkly fascinating Australian landscape, geological topographies and the ancient jewellery she has been awed by in museums worldwide. Originally self-taught, Melbourne-based Kim Victoria honed her craft with a Bachelor of Fine Art from RMIT majoring in Gold and Silversmithing. Armed with a First Class Honours award in Interior Design, Kim has developed a label that strikes a coherent balance between conceptual practice and quality craftsmanship, with pieces intended to remain timeless. The designer’s unique vision has seen her receive local acclaim, with a solo exhibition for her 2012 Volcanic Opulence Collection at Pieces of Eight, several installations at Alice Euphemia, and an Art Start grant to further her study of opals in Coober Pedy.
NOW YOU WERE ORIGINALLY SELF-TAUGHT, FROM WHAT AGE DID YOU LEARN THE CRAFT AND WAS THERE SOMEONE WHO GOT YOU INTERESTED IN CREATING YOUR OWN JEWELLERY? I started making jewellery when I was about 21, but have made things since I was a child. During my interior design degree I was taught by an amazing gentleman named Andrea Mina who crafted astoundingly complex small-scale pieces. I would say that this was when I realised that I preferred to physically make pieces rather than design things for others.
I UNDERSTAND YOUR DESIGNS ARE DIRECTLY INFLUENCED BY AUSTRALIAN LANDSCAPES. WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO BASE ON YOUR JEWELLERY DESIGNS ON THAT TOPIC? I just love the colour and forms found in our landscape. The plants and animals are like crazy, beautiful aliens that border on the grotesque.
“I will usually start by making collages and drawings that incorporate my own photographs, pages from books and anything that takes my fancy.� - KV
WHEN DESIGNING NEW PIECES HOW DOES THE PRODUCTION PROCESS WORK? I will usually start by making collages and drawings that incorporate my own photographs, pages from books and anything that takes my fancy. These two dimensional works then inform my three dimensional jewellery pieces which are lost wax cast, engraved, polished and hammered into their final forms.
OPALS ARE A FREQUENT FEATURE IN YOUR DESIGNS, WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO INCORPORATE THE BEAUTIFULLY UNDERRATED SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MINERALOID INTO YOUR DESIGNS? I love opals for exactly the same reason that I love Australian flora and fauna. They are so mysterious, magical and almost vulgar in their colour saturation. However, when they are cut into clean, geometric shapes, they are just stunning. I also like that they are mined in Australia and I have recently been to Coober Pedy to meet a couple that find and cut the stones themselves. I have some spectacular stones from them that are incorporated into the collection stocked at Pieces of Eight in Melbourne.
“..I had a confidence in my work that I had not had before and to see this reflected in sales and having clients seek me out was very encouraging.� - KV
BUSINESS SEEMS TO BE GOING GREAT FOR YOU AT THE MOMENT; YOUR ONLINE STORE HAS SOLD OUT OF ALL THE DESIGNS. WAS THERE A SPECIAL MOMENT WHERE YOU REALIZED THAT LIFE, AS YOU KNEW IT WAS CHANGING? My business has really built momentum over the last eighteen months. I’m not sure that there was one particular moment, but I do remember the day that I looked at the list of pieces due to stockists and clients and thinking “oh my goodness, how am I ever going to finish all this work?!’ It was such a great feeling, because I had a confidence in my work that I had not had before and to see this reflected in sales and having clients seek me out was very encouraging.
IF YOU COULD JEWEL UP ANYONE IN THE WORLD, FAMOUS, DEAD OR ALIVE WHO WOULD IT BE? AND WHAT WOULD YOU DESIGN FOR THEM? Louise Bourgeois. She is one of my favourite artists and I love that she worked until the end of her life. Have you ever seen a photo of her hands? They were these amazing, long, fine and veiny instruments capable of making such influential work. I would love to make her a gigantic opal cocktail ring. Something gold and absolutely encrusted with diamonds, pearls and engravings.
“..I want to be able to make a living from working with my hands and being surrounded by the brilliant creative people that I continually meet in my line of business..� - KV
IS THERE A MINERAL YOU HAVEN’T WORKED WITH AND WOULD LOVE TO IN THE FUTURE? MAYBE A RED OR BLACK OPAL? I am quite interested in Ethiopian opals. Some of them are translucent with internal planes of colour that look like cellophane mixed with glitter. They almost look unnatural because they are so psychedelic.
FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO HAVE ACHIEVED WITH KIM VICTORIA JEWELS? I really hope to build the volume of commission work as it such a joy to make things that mark a special moment in people’s lives. I am also developing an exhibition that includes sculpture and drawings as I feel creatively revitalised when I mentally step out of making jewellery for a while. Most of all I want to be able to make a living from working with my hands and being surrounded by the brilliant creative people that I continually meet in my line of business.
“The magic and wonder contained in those finely crafted pieces of jewellery from thousands of years ago is one of the reasons that I love jewellery so much. � - KV
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THOSE WHO FEEL JEWELLERY MAKING IS AN OLD TRADE? I agree! It is an old trade but that does not mean it is a dead trade. The magic and wonder contained in those finely crafted pieces of jewellery from thousands of years ago is one of the reasons that I love jewellery so much. These things live on long after we have returned to the earth and have stories to tell.
I READ YOU ARE IN THE PROCESS OF CREATING SOME NEW DESIGNS, COULD YOU SHARE ANY DETAILS OF WHAT TO EXPECT? They are heavily influenced by my time in Coober Pedy. The colour palette is very much about the sky and the dirt and the jewels themselves are informed by my photographs of the region.
Kim will be overseas until October 14th 2014.