RADICAL JEWELLERY MAKEOVER
The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust in partnership with Ethical Metalsmiths. Supported by Culture & Business Fund Scotland and Jamieson & Carry.
Radical Jewellery Makeover is a project originated and developed by Ethical Metalsmiths, a group based in the United States dedicated to inspiring responsible jewellery practices through education, connection and action. Radical Jewellery Makeover (RJM) is an international community jewellery mining and recycling project focused on education and collaboration. It brings together jewellers, working together to examine mining issues while making innovative jewellery from recycled sources. This project has travelled around the world since 2007, educating jewellers of all levels about mining and material sourcing issues involved in jewellery making through an exciting, fast-paced project.
Inspired by the success of this project in the United States, the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust were eager to adapt this into a nationwide Radical Jewellery Makeover (RJM) engagement project in Scotland led in partnership with Ethical Metalsmiths. This project will involve Jewellery and Silversmithing students and their tutors across Scotland from HND-Level and above, creating new pieces of jewellery from materials donated by the public. Those tangled chains, unmatched earrings and banged-up bracelets sitting at the bottom of jewellery boxes around Scotland are exactly what jewellery artists participating in RJM want to get their creative hands on! This project will conclude in March 2022 with an exhibition of the completed pieces in Glasgow during our annual Ethical Making symposium. The finished pieces will be available for sale during the exhibition.
RJM draws attention to the creativity and skills of local jewellery designers, revealing stories behind our personal collections and encouraging a re-consideration of our habits of consumption. The SGT’s Ethical Making Pledge launched in 2018, and was signed by all seven of Scotland’s art colleges teaching jewellery and silversmithing at HND-level and above. This signified their commitment to integrating ethical making into their courses. By bringing RJM to students across Scotland, the SGT hopes to spread awareness and inspire action around climate change, fast fashion, sustainability and the circular economy as they relate to the making of and consumption of jewellery and other crafts.
Visit the link below to view the RJM gallery, which includes a range of images from this project, including finished pieces and the RJM Exhibition opening event.
PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS
The Glasgow School of Art
City of Glasgow College
Edinburgh College of Art
Fife College
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design
Glasgow Kelvin College
DONATIONS
This project could not have happened without the support of the community’s donations! Ethical Metalsmiths and The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust accepted donations of old, unwanted jewellery at several locations across the country. Donors received discount coupons to apply toward the purchase of a new piece, with sales benefitting The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust Ethical Making Programme and Ethical Metalsmiths' efforts to educate and connect people with responsibly sourced materials.
Each donation was assigned a GBP (£) discount coupon value by the organisers based on the value of the materials included in the donation (gold, sterling silver, plated, plastic, etc.). Jewellery donors received a discount coupon reflecting this value, and were able to apply their donation discount coupon toward the purchase of a piece of Makeover jewellery at the exhibition in March.
TIMELINE
15 December 2021: Deadline for students and staff to register for RJM
January 2022: Sorting days at participating institutions
7 January 2022: Last day for donations
February 2022: Making of exhibition pieces
March 2022: Exhibition at Princes Square, Glasgow
RADICAL JEWELLERY MAKEOVER
RJM Launch Image by Colin Hattersley
RJM Exhibition Opening by James Robertson
Brooch by Claire Fallon
Earrings by Dingyuan Liu
ABOUT THE ORGANISERS
Ethical Metalsmiths is a community of caring buyers, jewellers, designers, and suppliers based in the United States of America. Committed to responsible, environmentally-sound practices for all facets of the Jewellery Industry, we strive to connect and educate people globally from mine to market.
