Ceramic Jewelry: Artworks made of Fire and Earth

People have always been fascinated with the material clay. Our forefathers believed the intelligent design of clay in some way reproduced the act of creation. According to the Old Testament, God created man from clay. Clay is suitable for any given design. Additionally, the material is available anywhere in rich quantities. If one fires the clay, it is transformed into ceramics. Ceramics are the oldest synthetic materials known to man. The oldest findings are dated roughly ten thousand years ago. Human beings initially used the technique in order to manufacture receptacles to keep foods and for cooking. But our forefathers quickly recognized the versatile possibilities for creating artworks in clay.

Its malleability makes it an ideal all-round material. Significant milestones on the way to modern ceramic production included the invention of the potter's wheel (middle of the 4th century BC), stoneware (also in the 4th century BC) and also porcelain (in the 7th century AD in China). In addition to receptacles, clay was also used to manufacture roof tiles, pipes and other tiles. From the middle of the 19th century onwards, clay also conquered other areas of application in technology. Its fireproof properties, resistance to chemicals and its insulating characteristics, important for example in high voltage insulators or in spark plugs, have made this ancient substance a high tech material for the modern age. In addition to the materials that were traditionally manufactured using clay, the market is increasingly experiencing in respect of more and more products made of synthetic materials. Ceramic materials of this kind are used in many different areas: as substrate for circuits, as hard substances for grinders, cutters and anti-wear machine components, as condensers and semiconductors and also as magnets in engine construction.

Any visitor to a potters market is familiar with jewelry made of ceramics. It is the typical spontaneous purchase material, above all for novices in the ceramics scene. It is on the one hand the complete freedom of form and color that is so fascinating for jewelry makers about the creative work with clay. One can satisfy the highest standards of design with ceramic jewelry also with durable quality and originality. Numerous effects can be achieved using paints and glazing, and images and patterns can also be applied. Soft clay is also suitable for imprints: Whether it is the sculpting hand of the artist, skin, leaves or bark from trees, there are no restrictions on the possibilities for lending the items a very personal stamp.

There are many techniques for producing ceramics that are typical to certain regions, frequently developed in order to cater to the special properties of the local clay. On the one hand, we find terracotta (Italian for "scorched earth"), which is used in Southern Europe. These ceramics, burnt at low temperatures (900-1,000 °C), are made of porous, red clay and are not glazed. The consistency of terracotta is comparatively soft.

The qualified designer Bernd Milan Stüber from Münster uses Japanese Raku ceramics in his extraordinary jewelry. Raku was developed for the first time in 16th century Japan in order to produce tea cups. The Emperor awarded the inventor the honorary title of Raku ("The Joy of the Muse") - Chojiro. The objects are mainly built by hand and then fired initially at 850 to 950 degrees after drying. They are then decorated with special Raku glazing with a low melting point. Firing the Raku is the real adventure. The pre-fired pieces are heated to around 1,000 degrees until the glazing melts.

The item, now glowing light red, is not left to cool down slowly, but is instead subjected to a veritable temperature shock. Only the specific constitution of the Raku clay with its high fireclay contents can cope with this without cracking. After a brief cooling period, in which the maze of glazing cracks (crazing) that is so typical for Raku forms, the piece, which still is at a temperature of several hundred degrees, is placed in a barrel filled with sawdust, hay, nutshells or other inflammable organic materials, which causes the materials to catch fire. The barrel is sealed airtight, which induces a reduction process, the removal of oxygen. This causes astonishing changes in the color of the applied glazing. After around half an hour, the ceramic piece, still at a temperature of over one hundred degrees, is removed and polished. In ideal cases, the reduction process causes carbon to be deposited in the crazing and on the places that remain without glazing. This creates a black hue.

www.neue-keramik.de

www.keramverband.de

http://www.duesseldorf.de/hetjens/

www.keramikmuseum.de

www.milan-keramik.de

www.keramikschmuck.de

High-Tech Ceramics - It all started with the love to the material

There are many different forms of ceramics. Its most perfect form is found in high-tech ceramics, used for example as thermal protection tiles on the space shuttle or in the braking systems in racing cars. Over two years ago, a young team of goldsmiths and designers discovered this modern material as a basis for an extraordinary ring collection. The courage paid off, and the Cerico Ceramic Collection is becoming increasingly popular. GZ Art + Design spoke to the Cerico founders and managing directors, Dr. Till Wohlleben and Enrique Anta, about their collection.

Art + Design: How did you get the idea to use technical ceramics to create jewelry?

Enrique Anta: The answer is perfectly simple: We were looking for a resilient jewelry material for a collection that would draw on black as a topic and that would create striking contrasts with diamonds and other colored gemstones. The original idea was to create jewelry based on Art Deco. Anodized silver or browned steel were not in the equation for this, as the coating wears off with time. Onyx is too brittle and enamel suffers too much under impact. This is how the idea was born to try it out with high-tech ceramics.

Art + Design: Why were you so fascinated with ceramics?

Till Wohlleben: We were particularly drawn to the properties of this group of high-tech materials. The ceramics have very different properties, depending on their intended use: some are acid-proof, others are suitable as super conductors, or they are particularly resistant to heat, scratch-proof or unbreakable. This means that you can pick a high-tech material for any application. We decided on a form of ceramics with the best combination of scratch-proof and unbreakable qualities. Our ceramics have a degree of hardness classification 9, which is equal to the hardness of sapphire, thus making the material harder than steel. In addition, the fact that it is entirely scratch-proof and unbreakable, there is practically no way to destroy the rings.

The qualities for wearing the ceramics are also striking. Ceramics do not cause allergies, which is why they are used for false teeth in dental medicine, and also for artificial joints, etc. The low weight and thermal conduction means that they are very comfortable to wear. Our rings never feel cold. They are very pleasant to the touch.

Art + Design: Is it not a real challenge to work with them?

Anta: The methods required to produce the ring blanks are very complicated. A large number of extremely specific stages of work are necessary to form the starting material, a powder, into the rings.

It is only possible to fix the stones in their settings and to adjust the settings to suit the ring track by hand, so there is a lot of manual labor involved in each individual piece. The material is minimally elastic and also enables us to set a stone in a tension ring. We provide our buyers with five years manufacturer's warranty on the material.

Art + Design: What influence does the material itself have on the design?

Anta: The more technical appearance of the material inspired me to choose a very straightforward, purist design. There are barely any limits at all on the forms. The striking feature of the Cerico Ceramic Collection is the tense relationship between the classical design elements and the modern materials. The ribbon rings reveal this in particular. The deep black tone of the rings is also very suitable for contrasting effects. This is why we combine the rings with the magnificent vivacity and brilliance of gemstones such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds.

Art + Design: Your collection has only included rings to date. Are you going to enlarge the range?

Wohlleben: Certainly, clients are increasingly asking for sets. They want everything to be tailor made. We have plans to extend the range to include earrings, bracelets, pendants and rings with pearls.

Art + Design: What target group does your jewelry collection address?

Anta: On the one hand we have people that are enthused by the material, so we are talking about jewelry wearers who like technology. In essence, our end consumers are jewelry enthusiasts with an open mind, and who enjoy wearing high-quality, extravagant gems. The collection appeals to clients with a more classical approach - for example the ribbon rings with large stones. But the innovative material is also attractive to customers who like wearing high-quality jewelry of a modern style, largely thanks to the design of the models.

Art + Design: Mr. Wohlleben, Mr. Anta, thank you for the interview.

www.cerico.de