Heidi Hockenjos
After studying wood, metals, ceramics and plastics at the University of Brighton, Heidi completed a jewellery pre-apprenticeship HND in London, leading onto a two-year apprenticeship with a master goldsmith in Hatton Garden. She then fell in love with the jewellery industry and its unique web of interconnected, traditional craft-forms.
Heidi has spent the past 15 years designing collections for inspiring British jewellers such as Sia Taylor and Polly Wales, culminating in a move to LA in 2016. Her experience producing work for international markets has given her a unique insight into the industry: ‘My aim has been to make work that people are drawn to, that connects them to the materials and the craft’. Heidi’s work has a feeling of being of this world but of another era. The tactile, softly textured gold and gemstones work together to form pieces that feel comfortable, like they have been a part of you forever.
This new body of work has been a process of unearthing Heidi’s aesthetic. Incorporating the most compelling techniques and materials, she has created work that truly represents her, while revealing the beauty in the materials. Heidi is inspired by jewellery and artefacts from ancient civilisations, in particular a pair of cloisonne earrings from Persia, 400 BC. This piece features stones cut into intricate shapes and arranged into beautiful formations using rich gold settings.
Heidi sources raw semi-precious gemstones such as turquoise, lapis and labradorite, selected for their unique beauty and colour. She hand-cuts them into intricate, soft shapes, juxtaposing them with highly faceted, polished, precious rubies, sapphires and diamonds. Her forms are sculpted in wax and transformed using the ancient technique of lost wax casting, into recycled gold components. The stone elements are then incorporated to create beautiful arrangements and wearable modern heirlooms.
Heidi sources raw semi-precious gemstones such as turquoise, lapis and labradorite, selected for their unique beauty and colour. She hand-cuts them into intricate, soft shapes, juxtaposing them with highly faceted, polished, precious rubies, sapphires and diamonds. Her forms are sculpted in wax and transformed using the ancient technique of lost wax casting, into recycled gold components. The stone elements are then incorporated to create beautiful arrangements and wearable modern heirlooms.
