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Prior to training as a jeweller at Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland in the late 1990s, Joanna Campbell (b. 1972) worked in the clothing industry as a production assistant and as a dress maker. Since establishing herself as an independent jeweller in 2001, Campbell's passion for fashion and textiles has continued to inform her jewellery practice. She is known for creating metal jewellery that imitates the drape, texture and fragility of fabric.
'My background in the clothing industry generates a constant resource for my jewellery making practice. I am fascinated by the possibilities discovered as I investigate the relationship between fabric and metal. My approach to making is based on materials and processes. I like to experiment with material properties. I try to let the material dictate the form a piece will take, paying attention to the inherent nature of the material, whether it is 22 carat gold or silk fabric.' Joanna Campbell
Joanna Campbell's Grosgrain Ribbon Necklace is a superb example of her ability to imitate textiles and their properties in metal. The piece is inspired by her love of old silk grosgrain ribbons, in which the weft is heavier than the warp. It is this contrast in weight that creates the grosgrain’s striking ribbed appearance.
The necklace is part of Campbell’s ongoing Haberdashery Collection, which she launched in 2003.