I’m excited to share my most recent series of one of a kind jewellery pieces exhibited for the first time at Pressure and Time, hosted by Courtesy of the Artist at BC House. I was honoured to exhibit alongside Carla Maxine, Cinnamon Lee, Cesar Cueva, Leonie Simpson, Roberto Mattei, and Todd Turner – some of the countries finest contemporary jewellers. The opening night celebrations were a wonderful way to launch the exhibition, which is the biggest Courtesy of the Artist show yet, marking 20 years of the gallery and celebrating the close-knit family of artists and makers that has grown around it.
The jewellery in this series, which I have called Tide Fragments, brings together a wide range of locally sourced gemstones: Australian black and crystal opals, pink and purple Australian sapphires, Australian green sapphires, and grey, yellow and pink Australian diamonds. I also worked with two incredible Australian zircons from the Northern Territory, along with hand-carved mother of pearl. With the exception of just two stones, every gem in this collection is Australian – a reflection of my ongoing commitment to working with and celebrating local materials.
For those of you who joined us in celebration, thank you! And for those of you who were unable to make it – the full collection of pieces is available in store at Courtesy of the Artist in the Strand Arcade, Sydney with some pieces now also available online.
TIDE FRAGMENTS by Marina Antoniou
“Walking the tide line, I gathered fragments – sea urchin spines and shells in shades of purple and pink – that became the foundation of this series. These brighter colours play against softer tones found in nature: greys, browns and mossy greens.
Each piece is designed as its own small artwork, intricate and unique, yet connected as part of a bigger story, much like specimens in a natural history display. Hand-carved mother of pearl from South Sea oyster shells adds a soft, luminous touch, while sea urchin spines collected along the NSW south coast have been cast directly in gold, preserving their texture.
This series is delicate, fine jewellery with a sense of discovery … a celebration of the fragments the sea leaves behind.”