Bryna Pomp Selects
Bryna Pomp Selects
Spending her entire career in the field of jewellery, Bryna Pomp is a globally recognised expert.
Working for the Museum of Arts and Design in New York as Director of LOOT: MAD About Jewelry since 2011, she is focused on strategically searching the world for the most innovative, creative, skilled contemporary jewellery makers to present at this annual sale at the Museum.
See her selection of Goldsmiths’ Fair 2021 exhibitors below.
Frog ring by Fred Rich
Fred Rich’s technical and artistic skills as a maker of enamelled fine jewellery are unparalleled. His usage of colour and his incorporation of stones alongside the enamel are exquisite. I particularly love his flowers and his shark, but I must confess that it was his frogs with their almost mischievous and humorous expressions that made me fall in love with his work.
Large Brushstroke earrings by Evgeniia Balashova
I feel that Evgeniia Balashova is among the world’s most innovative jewellers working with 3d printing. Her skills exemplify such versatility as a maker: achieving wonderful colours, both solids and ombres; adding silver elements that impart a certain gravitas to the nylon; and creating such boldness and impact using the most weightless materials.
Silver Cuff by Wayne Meeten
The absolute perfection and precision I see in Wayne Meeten’s work clearly derive from the years he spent studying jewellery making techniques in Japan and from the tools he has fabricated to achieve the skills and aesthetics he acquired there. To me Wayne’s work embodies a perfect union of the rich heritage of centuries of outstanding British craftsmanship and design in silver with his very distinctive and expressive surface textures and patterns.
Floral Tassel Pendants by Sarah Stafford
Sarah Stafford’s newest collection, each design beginning its life digitally printed and then beautifully hand finished, is absolutely wonderful. It is elegant and super contemporary in its simplicity, although it subtly and rather quietly includes a combination of metals, and sometimes colour, with powder coating and beautiful silk cords. It imparts to me a profound sense of serenity and impeccability.
‘Holme’ necklace by Joanne Thompson
It is extraordinary to me to contemplate the precision, the amount of labour, and the meticulous planning that go into every one of Joanne Thompson’s pieces. To think that every single link is addressed individually is just remarkable. The resulting earrings, bracelets, and necklaces possess a suppleness and a sensuous tactility that make them an absolute joy to wear. I know that I reach into my bracelet collection drawer many times every week to wear mine.
‘Impression’ cufflinks by Caiyang Yin
What I love about Caiyang Yin’s work is that out of the unadorned perfection of his stark backgrounds arises a rather amorphous, ageless human face filled with profound emotion and suggestiveness. Some makers utilize stones, pearls, or diamonds in their work. Caiyang is different. He uses the human face as his focal point, and the captivating and engaging expressions on these faces create an unending dialogue and mystery for both the wearer and the observer.
International Introducing: Chao-Hsien Kuo from Finland
When I was asked by Goldsmiths’ Fair to select a maker from outside the UK to introduce to its audience I knew immediately that everything about Chao’s work made her the perfect jeweller for this.
I first discovered Chao’s work in 2015 when I invited her to participate in MAD About Jewelry, the annual sale of international contemporary jewellery at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York that I have been the Director of since 2011. The jewellers I select for this show each year must meet the same high level criteria that I know exists at Goldsmiths’ as well: innovative techniques; excellence in design; mastery of materials; meticulous craftsmanship; and a distinctive signature look;.
What I love about the work of Chao is that it coalesces her Asian roots with the very spare and minimal aesthetic of Finland, where she has lived and worked for decades. The combination is beguiling. There is a graceful fluidity to every element in her work.
This particular necklace has always been my favourite piece of hers. I think of it as an elegant piece of sculpture for the neck, capturing a timeless windswept moment.
