Photograph by Noël Manalili.
Studio jewelers of the Objects: USA generation made a great point of rejecting precious materials. The found object was the new standard, indicating a lack of concern for traditional hierarchies. For Monique Péan, however, there is no opposition here: precious minerals are the found objects she seeks and puts to use. Péan has employed such recherché substances as fossilized dinosaur bone, walrus ivory, and shark tooth, meteorite, and repurposed antique or industrial diamonds.
These materials obviously bring a great deal to her work aesthetically, but also have an intense narrative charge, connecting the object’s wearer to deep, even primordial, time. Péan is dedicated to sustainability and often reflects in her work the landscape of unspoiled environments, such as Antarctica, that she has experienced on her travels.
1130G Sikhote-Alin Meteorite Vessel in Sikhote-Alin meteorite specimen, architectural bronze remnant, and watercolor and charcoal on recycled cotton paper. Designed and made by Monique Péan, USA, 2020.
15.2" L x 6.4" W x 2.3" H
38.6cm L x 16.3cm W x 5.8cm H
SM8029