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In December 2024, Arabel joined fellow art jewellers John Moore and Pasquale Rossi on a Jewellery Collective panel in Brighton to discuss the phenomenon of ‘art jewellery’. There, she explained that she believes the key distinction between art and commercial jewellery lies in the narrative.
Traditional jewellery often fulfils a brief dictated by the wearer. An engagement ring, for example, is commissioned to encapsulate a personal milestone and reflect certain established cultural expectations.
Art jewellery, by contrast, is a vessel for the maker’s ideas, values and reflections on society. There is of course fluidity within this theory, Arabel acknowledges - it’s possible to create a unique piece of art jewellery with an idea of its final viewer or wearer in mind. Unlike art jewellery, however, traditional jewellery is very rarely an uninhibited artistic outlet; in order to sell a piece of commercial jewellery, a jewellery designer must demonstrate an understanding of what their customer needs.
For many years, Arabel has donned her ‘artist’ hat separately to her ‘jeweller’ hat, using Lebrusan Studio as the commercial extension of her creative practice concerned exclusively with jewellery that is designed, worn and understood in the traditional sense of the word ‘jewellery.’ Lebrusan Studio’s output adheres to briefs driven by our clients, whilst art jewellery is a realm where Arabel can delve into themes that are personal and often politically charged.
Arabel’s art practice is rooted deeply in material culture, power relationships and exploitation. Her Blunt Blades project, for example, involved transforming police-confiscated knives into objects that evoke new emotions, examining the way materials carry inherent meanings and how those meanings can be reshaped.
Within this body of work, Blunt Blades Exchange (2021) is a socially engaged art project inviting nine women at the Women’s Support Centre Surrey to transform some of these seized knives into wearable ‘healing rings,’ each participant personalising her piece of jewellery with symbols of empowerment through a series of conversations and a bespoke design process.
Meanwhile, Knife Murders 275/275. England & Wales (2021), is a set of 275 rings also made from the metal of the police-confiscated artefacts, each ring representing a homicide in England and Wales from April 2019 until March 2020. There are 10 small-sized rings to represent the murders of children under the age of 16, 50 slim medium-sized rings to represent the homicides of women, and 215 wide large-sized rings to represent the murders of men. Each ring is laser inscribed with a unique edition number.
“I find meaning in transforming everyday materials into physical metaphors, using matter that matters to amplify the stories that desperately need to be told,” Arabel says. “Creating art helps me cope with the injustices of this cruel world we live in; to process humanity’s tragic histories of abuse, exploitation, and inequality. I hope it will also help others.”
Art jewellery, in Arabel’s perspective, is a tangible and relatable medium through which complex ideas can be explored. From gender politics to ecological grief and colonial legacies, her pieces transcend traditional jewellery to become artefacts that open dialogues bigger than aesthetics.
Traditionally, jewellery is of course designed as bodily adornment; something to be worn. As such, practicality, comfort and durability is often prioritised in jewellery design. In the realm of art jewellery, by contrast, the body becomes a canvas for exploration.
Artist John Moore, for example, often designs his pieces to “react gracefully to the movement of the human body” – with contemporary dance performance playing a role in some of his projects. Unlike traditional jewellery design, conventional functionality ultimately plays a limited role in John’s art jewellery, which prioritises aesthetic and emotional resonance over day-to-day practicality. For him, the creative process is not about adhering to the conventional norms of jewellery design and craftsmanship, but about achieving a unique vision.
Arabel, meanwhile, sees pieces of art jewellery as ‘an extension of the body;’ that is to say, not something that needs to be worn conventionally by definition. A piece of art jewellery may be held in the hand, or even displayed on a wall or in a case as a standalone sculpture that evokes images of the human form.
Her Heaven & Hell (2015) earrings, for example, are an aspect of a larger photo installation, now held in a private collection. Whilst the right earring was crafted using traceable diamonds from Canada’s Diavik mine and 18ct Fairtrade Gold from Colombia’s Oro Verde mining cooperative, its identical left counterpart was created using ‘industry standard’ diamonds and gold of unknown provenance. Though they could be worn on the ears, these earrings exist first and foremost as a metaphor that highlights the binary of responsible vs. illicit supply chains in the jewellery industry. They symbolise the issue of the final consumer turning a blind eye to atrocities out of convenience, prioritising surface appearance over integrity; Their wearability is not their purpose.
That question – “What is art jewellery?” – does not have a singular answer. “Wearable sculpture,” “An idea masquerading as an exquisite object,” and “An emphasis of creative expression and design over the value of precious metals and gemstones” are all definitions of art jewellery that we’ve crossed in recent months.
For Arabel Lebrusan, art jewellery is jewellery which embodies an intentional narrative, conceived as an artistic response to specific social injustices, ecological concerns and feminist viewpoints. Arabel’s art jewels are unique in nature and narrate powerful stories using a poetic language and time-honoured artisanship.
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Love, Arabel & Team
It's possible to embrace the beautiful materials that Mother Nature offers us without harming our beautiful planet. By asking questions, simplifying supply chains and sharing our knowledge with the world, we can achieve this balance.
