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Wednesday 4 December 2013

Jewellery Showcase - Chalk

Established by two London based architects, Chalk is a new design studio which creates unique and timeless contemporary jewellery. Each piece is designed, laser cut and carefully assembled from acrylic, wood or leather. Designers Malaika and Hazel have a passion for beautifully crafted design, from the scale of cities to bespoke jewellery pieces. The collections are inspired by the fantastic and spectacular as well as beauty in everyday items.
The intricate designs of collections; ‘Egyptian’, ‘Angular’, ‘Deco’ and ‘Hello Deer’, take their inspiration from journeys, architecture and design across varying cultures and eras, creating striking high quality pieces which are individual and timeless.

We asked them a few questions...

Okay, let’s start with an introduction…tell us something interesting about yourself and give us the quick lowdown on the Jewellery you make. 
We are two London based architects with a passion for beautifully crafted design at all scales and we strive to create intricate, unique and affordable handcrafted jewellery. Our most recent collection is inspired by the traditional Japanese woodwork technique of Kumiko; creating delicate patterns from precisely cut wooden pieces. The patterns are laser cut from walnut and inset with mirror acrylic.

Can you tell us about your design process? Does it start with an idea, a vision, a material…?
Each collection is different, it may begin with pattern from a particular culture or a material. We are currently playing with leather for our next collection. We use a laser cutter to create the intricate patterns, a technique which we use as architects to create models.

Can you remember the first piece you ever designed?
As Chalk, the first pieces we designed together were stag and bird shaped. We designed them while on holiday in the Scottish highlands.

What objects, people, places or spaces influence and inspire you?
We are influenced by everything around us, including architecture, nature, art and patterns from different cultures.

Your designs are bold, standout pieces, does this reflect your personal style?
We design all our jewellery collections for ourselves and enjoy wearing them! We often design the same piece in large for Malaika and small for Hazel as Malaika is definitely bolder!

What do you do when you’re not making jewellery? Or is it a full-time job? 
We are both practicing architects by day which has a significant influence on the patterns we create. In the little free time we have we really enjoy visiting beautiful spaces and galleries, walking and eating out.

What’s the single best piece of advice you can give to someone starting out in Jewellery Design? 
Design jewellery you would love to wear yourself!


Here's a little look at just some of the pieces we will be showing in the Jewellery Showcase this week.
If that's whetted your appetite come and join us on the opening night (Thursday 5th December from 5.30 - 8pm) and all throughout December.


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