mischer’traxler: 'the scientific nature of jewellery' for rozet & fischemeister

‘the scientific nature of jewellery’

as part of the vienna design week 09 austrian studio mischer’traxler were invited to participate in the passionswege series, where 10 designers were brought together with local shops and manufacturers, given an opportunity to experiment, make use of workshops or intervene in the business’ premises.

their project -‘the scientific nature of jewellery’ was realised together with rozet & fischmeister court jewellers.famous for their silverware, they have recently begun to focus once again on fine jewellery. for mischer’traxler researching into hand-crafted jewellery and all its productions steps, it became obvious that the making of jewellery requires much training and specification as well as patience, careful planning, love for perfect details, and an immense amount of knowledge in materials. this finding was translated into an experimental set up consisting of three parts; the installation interprets the profession of goldsmith from various angles and opens up towards new inputs.

‘the scientific nature of jewellery’ installation in the window of rozet & fischemeister store, vienna

original necklace by rozet & fischmeister one used in the installation by franz fischmeister

it requires many working steps and fine-tuning until a classic piece of jewellery is finished. the piece is melted, hit, wrought, soldered, edged, polished …to emphasize the importance of details, beauty and precision, an original piece by rozet&fischmeister is examined through magnifying glasses.

experiment: discolouring necklace

knowledge about material and its physical and chemical properties, enable people to broaden the borders of classic craftsmanship. in this experiment a silver necklace is doused, again and again, in sulphide liquid. after some time, black graphics emerge on the necklace. in this case, the silhouettes of two children become visible. – a reinterpretation of classical amulets showing the ones we love.

experiment: discolouring necklace

experiment: growing necklace

to make a beautiful and accurately-made piece of jewellery, it needs time, mindfulness and patience – similar to a grain, which slowly develops and becomes the plant. in this experiment, gemstones are replaced by grains. tenderly cultivated, taken care of and shaped, the seed gradually grows up, becoming the actual ‘piece of jewellery’. the owner can cultivate and form the plant to their imagination and experiment with various species.

experiment: growing necklace