Instead of using precious stones in my jewellery I choose to draw inspiration from the living jeweled kingdom, materials such as butterfly wings and feathers. Natural substances that can be used in jewellery such as wood, bone, shell, butterflies and birds share a distinctive dialect - life. No precious stone can claim this impermanence and fragility of being, the fundamental nature of our own mortality.
I set these delicate materials with recycled silver and recycled Perspex. Most materials I use are found, but due to the transient nature of butterflies finding ones that have passed locally is seldom. For that reason I have been sourcing butterflies from butterfly farms in Australia and around the world. All butterflies are treated ethically and the farms are working to conserve their populations and natural habitats. This is why I am happy to support them. All feathers I use are either molted feathers from birds or found, so no bird is ever hurt.