A pair of oval drop, sterling silver earrings embellished with a sparse, asymmetrical pattern of 9ct yellow gold granules. Each earring has an undulating 'bite' cut out of one edge. These bright silver earrings have a hammered texture on the front side and they are gently convex. Each earring hangs from hand-made hooks.
Elegantly simple, the Rangelands earrings are informed by the artist's formative years spent in western NSW. The gold granules on the hammered texture are reminiscent of rain across the surface of water in the rangelands - a semi-arid area covering 80% of the Australian landmass.
Sterling silver, 9ct yellow gold
3.5cm drop from piercing
Approximately 2cm wide
Kate Gardiner’s 'Rangelands Revealed' project combines the artist’s contemporary jewellery practice, knowledge of Australia’s rangelands and respect for the people who live there, as well as her creative writing.
the rangelands land type include savannas, woodlands, shrublands, grasslands and wetlands. Across these regions people are working to repair the environment through consultation with First Nations People, and innovative, critically informed practices.
Kate’s range of sterling silver, silk and gold jewellery draws upon the formative aesthetic influence this environment had on her during time spent in western NSW. Every piece is infused with elements unique to the rangelands, from curved sandstone ridges to the bark of the ngarrkaray (Pilaarrkiyalu language)/Leopardwood tree, to the bright spots of gold in the wide starry sky. The coloured silk borders suggest the red soil, the vast blue skies, the pink feathers of galahs, or the golden tan of the stockworkers’ kelpie collaborators.
Kate is an Australian maker based on Ngunnawal country, Canberra.
