It all started with finding out my father-in-law was a woodturner in his younger years and still had a lathe in the shed. I got very excited that I had someone to show me how to do it.
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My friend Charlotte Penman and I had many conversations about designing a space for her jewellery studio, and the initial idea came seeking a way to display jewellery, as well as create a nicer way to keep the special pieces you wear every day.
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I spent a bit of time playing on the lathe, creating shapes and a cone based on a jewellerβs sizing tool. From there it was really just a play of form and proportions. All the initial timber we used was recycled from his shed: rimu, oak, purple heart, ash, kauri and walnut. Though I was familiar with different tones and grains, the densities and weight were a whole new layer to understand.
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Iβve used that first little cone ever since, which is one of the reasons I kept coming back to the concept. I really love that little ritual of placing my wedding ring on the cone on my bedside table every night.
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Timber to me has a grounding energy and carries time and history, which I love. It has so much depth to it. The concept of having an object that holds your special jewellery, and the act of placing it there every day is a beautiful little gesture. Nothing grand, but still precious and special.
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From that concept I kept trying to refine the collection and decided to start with three different sized cones and a bowl and lid that would interconnect and work together as a series.
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Finding the right woodturner became crucial. Eventually, I came across RenΓ© Baxalle. RenΓ© is a very kind and caring lovely French turner. So many things needed to be refined to make them work. The bowls with lids start from one solid piece and in most cases the top and base are spun together. We added steel internally to give the cones extra weight to carry the tray, and a brass base with limited-edition numbering. I wanted to create something personal, unique and ideally to be passed down through generations.
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There are 99 pieces in the initial run: nine cones of each size in each timber, ebonised pΕhutukawa, black maire and puriri. Then six bowls with lid in each timber as well. All are numbered and every piece is unique. Something for everyone, hopefully.
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Kate Pilot Design
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