Young Dunedin jeweller Rebecca Scarlett dedicates her spare time to learning her craft. She tells Rebecca Fox about her work.
Rebecca Scarlett is learning her trade the old-fashioned way, through practice and books.
The young Dunedin jeweller is mixing a day job in fashion retail with evening work learning her craft.
A Dunedin Art School visual arts graduate, Miss Scarlett has always had an interest in jewellery.
‘‘As a kid I used to play around with beads and I thought it would be fun to take it further.''
Since she graduated, Miss Scarlett wanted to continue to make jewellery but realised the only way to keep doing so was to get a full-time job.
Finding an ‘‘apprenticeship'' in the jewellery trade was very difficult so she chose a retail job.
She set up her own studio, where she works during the week or on her days off.
Having the retail work broke the loneliness of working in a studio by herself, she said.
‘‘I'm still learning and wanting to improve.''
There she continued to hone her skills and teach herself new ones, producing collections under her Scarlett brand.
‘‘You have to be patient but it's nice when you finish something niggly.''
The detailed work was very challenging.
‘‘It's still a learning curve. I'm still wanting to improve.''
It meant putting in the hours until she got something right, she said.
‘‘I usually have a clear idea about what I'd like it to be but that can change as I do it.''
She had released three collections of jewellery since graduating and felt her work was improving with each collection.
While Dunedin had a particular ‘‘fashion look'' she tried not to stick to that.
‘‘I try to be different and am developing my own look. It's not exactly there yet.''
With each collection she put out, Miss Scarlett endeavoured to master a new skill, such as gem-setting, which was the focus of her first collection, Absence.
It was inspired by the stone settings and layering of shapes found in traditional jewellery.
‘‘Many traditional jewellery pieces are simply skeletons which showcase a precious stone.''
The collection subverted this by framing empty space, pushing the focus on to the construction of the piece as a work in itself.
Her second collection, Spectrum, was about gender fluidity and the question of whether jewellery should be specifically for a boy or girl.
‘‘The wearer should make it their own. Some are more feminine, some masculine. It should not be defined by gender so much.''
Her work was being sold by Company of Strangers in Dunedin and White Willow Fashion in Balclutha, which was a great boost, she said.
Next year Miss Scarlett plans to move to Australia with the hope of finding a jewellery apprenticeship or at least a creative fashion job.
‘‘I feel like I can't get a better job here and I want to shake things up and learn more to get to be the best I can be.''
