Robin Wells – In Conversation

Your new collection is inspired by the rare and captivating natural phenomenon of the Double Rainbow. What is it about this moment in nature that resonates so strongly with you?

Every time I see a Double Rainbow, it brings a sense of joy and wonder. A single rainbow is already something special, but a double one? That’s rare, and it always feels like a moment worth holding on to.

There’s been a few ‘Double Rainbow’ events recently, and each time I’m lucky enough to see one, it sets my mind to thinking about the vibrant colours, their meaning and what a rare phenomenon it truly is. I just kept thinking about the whole concept of the double rainbow and constantly turning it over in my mind for ways to use the inspiration of it to develop a point of difference.

You’ve long been drawn to elements of the natural world. What made the Double Rainbow feel like the right focal point for this series at this time in your practice?

Recently, the incredible assembly of gems I have in my studio has been calling me more, and I felt a strong desire to use colour again. I’ve been drawing parallels between double rainbows and the rarity and uniqueness of some of these gems, and was inspired to make this a focus in the new collection.

You describe the Double Rainbow as holding a sense of duality: the light and dark, the original and magical. How have you explored or translated that duality through the forms, materials, or composition of these pieces?

I made conscious decisions when creating the collection about how to interpret the double rainbow as a metaphor. Most things in life have an element of duality, so I was making pieces with strong elements of two things, two components within pieces: two metals, dark black oxidising with bright warm 18ct and 24ct yellow gold, and also double-sided hollowed forms with layered patterning on each surface, allowing them to move and turn with the body so whatever side is facing out, it is a feature.

This body of work is a continuation of your fascination with surface treatment. In what ways has your approach evolved in this series, and how do these surfaces support the mood or meaning of the work?

This collection builds further on the motifs I use, introducing some new embossed designs. I also experimented more with these pieces by completely layering gold atop the silver to cover the entire surface of several designs, as is evident in the Leaf Fragment Earrings and Double Pink Necklace.

I’m hoping to evoke joy and little reminders for the wearer to enjoy the moments you’re living in and embracing the positive parts of life, embodied in pieces such as the Sunny Days Earrings – an ode to the gift that is sulit warmth, the quiet yet subtle beauty of crisp mornings and rain, shown through the Petrichor Ring, After Rain Ring and Frosted Morning Rings.

New, bigger, bolder neck pieces with multiple gemstone bead strands that command presence on the body also make a debut in this collection, which is exciting for me to venture into.

Botanical motifs appear throughout this collection and have become a recognisable thread in your practice. What draws you to these natural forms, and how have you reimagined them in this series, either materially or symbolically?

Botanical motifs are intrinsic to my designs and practice as a whole; there is no escaping for me. A lifelong collector of nuts, seeds and leaves, many of which are immortalised, pressed in pages of books. The last 10 or so years have seen me creating templates that allow me to emboss these ‘drawings’ on the metal with my rolling mill.

Sometimes I draw the complete designs I aim to create, and other times I’ll start with a specific shape and the rolling mill embossing process will take it in another direction and dictate what gem or drop might go along with it, so there is also duality occurring through the making process. The embossed designs are my stylised interpretations, imparting the structure and form I choose onto the metal surface, sometimes overlapping the different elements to build up the patterning. It’s a bit like walking through the varied foliage on a hike through the bush.

This series leans into mixed metal work, particularly the fusion of silver and gold. What inspires you to work with these contrasts, and how has it pushed your creative or technical process?

The fusion of the 24ct gold to the surface of another metal is a magical process. I just love everything about working with the contrasting metals; how they bond together and the effect of the two-tone colour contrast that is created.

It’s not without its challenges, and when soldering to the fused surfaces, great care needs to be taken not to overheat the metal to ensure the gold does not disappear into the metal below. I hand roll my own gold foil so it is thicker and can tolerate any extra heat when soldering. I’ve also been experimenting more with the 24ct gold fused to 18ct white gold in a couple of pieces, like the Filtered Darkness Ring and Clear Skies Earrings.

Some of the gemstones in this collection have been with you since your travels in India in 2009, held onto, and as you put it, ‘waiting for the right moment.’ What made this collection feel like the right time to bring them to life through your work?

I was working a lot with coloured gemstones and beads years ago after my travels, however in the last 10 years have moved away from including them in my designs to focus solely on metal, mainly sterling silver.

Recently, I’ve felt a desire to use more colour in my jewellery and have been drawn back to the incredible collection in my studio, especially the tourmalines. These are probably my all-time favourite gemstones and with their myriad of rainbow colours, it all came together poetically for me, feeling like the right moment.

When speaking of the Double Rainbow, you mention it serves as a reminder that beauty and light still exists even in darkness. Why is it important for you to embed that sense of hope or quiet joy into the work you create, and what do you hope wearers take from it?

Sometimes it can feel very trivial and meaningless to create jewellery in a world where we hear about terrible things happening every day.

I am still inspired to create something beautiful, the art of slow making and enjoying the pleasure of the many layered hand processes involved in bringing my designs to life.

My wish is that these are unique and precious creations that are more than adornments, but talismans of hope, transformation, and beauty. Botanical motifs that connect the wearer to the land, when we are often disconnected from it.