The text reads:
“Anathema Designs was started in late 2010. All of the jewellery and accessories are designed and handmade by Siân Rookwood, a 25 year old trainee architect from the UK.
Siân graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in architecture in 2007 and is currently working towards her masters in architecture. She has always had a love of art and everything creative and whilst finding the architectural work both challenging and rewarding, wanted to find an alternative - and freer - outlet for her creative ideas. Fuelled by a love of alternative fashion and photography, she started to experiment with the idea of using waste, or seemingly ‘ugly’ materials to create beautiful objects, in an attempt to change perceptions about what beauty really is.
Chainmailling rapidly became an obsession as the juxtaposition of the hard metal rings - invoking memories of battle and pain - and the idea of wearable, delicate jewellery, appealed to her individual aesthetic. She uses traditional chainmailling techniques to create the pieces. Each ring is individually opened or closed by hand, using a pair of pliers, and then woven into a chosen pattern. Many of her chainmail pieces use classic European weaves, which were used originally to form chainmail armour.
The most recent addition to her repertoire is the Zip Collection, which she views as a form of sculptural, almost architectural expression. The graphic nature of the zips themselves was the first thing that attracted her to the material. Each piece is hand sewn and individually sculpted. The final form of each zip piece is part of an organic process, as there is no traditional design stage involving sketching, as the zips are allowed to bend in the direction in which they naturally fall as a result of every stitch.
Siân has recently started to exhibit and sell her work locally in the UK and is currently working towards a number of collaborations with local photographers and other designers. She sells a few ‘ready to wear’ pieces but works largely on commission and can be contacted with regard to either purchasing or commissioning a piece of jewellery via her website: www.anathemadesigns.co.uk”
