Spirit Collection

Karen Dell’Armi’s most recent collection, Spirit, released in 2013 to great appraise. Distinctive and atypical, the collection was inspired by Karen’s charity trek to the Everest Summit’s base-camp. The glacial landscape was humbling in scale, and awe inspiring. She wanted to create an experience as true to this as possible and take a leap into the unknown.

The challenge of bringing the collection to life led her to partner with PDR, a design and innovation institution set up with Cardiff Metropolitan University, where she learned 3D modelling skills to create her jewellery not from metal, but from printed clay, using machines such as the SLA, a laser stereolithographer that allowed a much finer resolution than could be achieved by hand.

Virtually carving the collection with haptic arm technology in freeform, she sculpted and manipulated in the same way as she would in her workshop. This meant that she could naturally express the cracks and crevasses that she experienced. The pieces were then finished by hand to add minute detail and additional materials.

Beginning with the iconic, larger pieces was a conscious choice, replicating the scale of what she saw. These were the pieces that she would like to wear while also expressing the humility that she felt in the landscape. The collection features bold, sculptural statement pieces that are uniquely designed, ranging from earrings to the larger pieces seen above.

The most enjoyable part for Karen was learning new experiences. Spirit, as a collection, encapsulates the trials and adventures, while giving her an opportunity her to face her fears with the new technology. This put her outside of her comfort zone, just as she felt when confronted with Everest.