Contribution to photo essay What We Collect, november 2020 for Art Jewelry Forum

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Saskia van Es selected this ring by Peter Vermandere as her favorite piece of jewelry. “Materials carry stories. With this ring I bought the story of aluminum. When the Atomium, Brussels’s landmark building, was refurbished, Peter Vermandere was offered a discarded aluminum panel. Later he laid hands on more panels and made jewelry with used offset printing plates and other aluminum scraps. We talked about the ore bauxite, war planes, cooking pots, things that need to be strong and lightweight. This material has shaped economies and ruined ecologies. Its production requires enormous amounts of energy, but the result can be reused almost endlessly. Reused aluminum is also the basis of the ALU Continuo ring. It’s cast with a lost-wax method and, I guess, a secret grainy ingredient. The slight discomfort in wearing it is a gentle reminder of its presence during the day.”

See photo essay here

Photo: Peter Vermandere, ALU Continuo ring from the Aluminium Galore series, 2020, reused aluminum, 45 x 30 mm, photo: Saskia van Es