item details
NameFlight of birdsrings
ProductionJenny Pattrick; maker/artist; 1987; New Zealand
Classificationjewellery, finger rings, artifacts
Materialspāua (abalone shell), sterling silver, silver
Materials Summarypaua shell and sterling silver
Techniquesjewellery making
Dimensions94, 130, 40
Registration Number1993-0038-31
Credit lineGift of the Friends of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 1993
Overview
Bone Stone Shell: Jenny Pattrick
The effect I’m after is of a bird or insect just arrived on the hand.
Jenny Pattrick, Bone Stone Shell letter of submission, 1987
Jenny Pattrick’s lyrical work for Bone Stone Shell was part of a wider turn away from earlier pāua jewellery. Instead of disguising the shell’s natural form, she revealed the way it could mould to the contours of the neck, or suggest the movement of a bird. One of the neckpieces makes a design feature of the distinctive row of breathing holes.
Each boldly three-dimensional piece places silver or gold in a supporting role, allowing the shell’s qualities to shine.