VANISHING WORLD

The African elephant is in danger of extinction because of illegal poaching fueled by the lucrative ivory trade. As Ivory is sometimes sold under the guise of legal mammoth bone and then used in the jewellery industry, I wanted to create a piece which would show that the aesthetic of ivory can be reproduced using alternative materials such as sustainably sourced turkey bones which are a by-product of the food industry.

My design has been inspired by the Elizabethan ruff, a fashion accessory deliberately chosen as it has virtually vanished from the fashion world. The piece comprises 19 turkey bones which I prepared, cut to size and carved before inlaying with upcycled Swarovski crystals and then joining together with upcycled Swarovski pearls to create a ruff.