A gold specimen is captured in a frame of folded titanium. This lightweight frame holds the gold using the spring inherent in the titanium itself, therefore the specimen remains unchanged and could theoretically be removed in the future undamaged. The titanium frame becomes a protective vessel for the safe keeping and transport of the gold specimen. The contrast between the custom-made titanium and the natural state of the gold is a strong feature of this work.
This necklace celebrates a sense of place in two contrasting ways. Worn by someone from the place of the specimen, it could be a strong signifier of home – an amulet against home sickness, worn close to the heart. Worn by someone from another place, it acts as a souvenir, perhaps to mark a special journey or the dream of travel to a particular place. The design has the potential to be remade to accommodate a person’s own significant specimen, without changing or compromising the original sentimental piece of gold or other mineral.
