Plastics are precious: Ann Marie Shillito's 'Bee Brooch'. Ann Marie designed the red 3D printed lid to fit a clear plastic tub from Simply Cook which she has repurposed here as a packaging and display box.

Sustainable materials in Contemporary Jewellery

Plastics are precious to many artists and designer-makers who use a collaborative approach with our environment when sourcing materials. Selecting materials is one of the most important parts of the design process. It is an investment into our practice and ultimately will turn into an object or wearable piece for a customer to cherish.

Plastics are precious: Pink and Yellow ‘Bud Brooches’ Ann Marie Shillto.

At Anarkik Creations plastics are precious. By adding value to this material, we elevate the plastics we use, to keep them in the economy and out of our landfills and rivers. This necklace by Birgit is a great example of plastic materials which she has repurposed and added value to:

‘Koala’ necklace – Birgit Laken 2017. Melamine, wood, silk cord.

The next stage is using what we have in our homes, as well as excess and left-over materials. This is a challenge for many of us. But to reduce climate change and pollution, reducing our consumption of throw away materials could help us live within our means and protect our environment. From the perspective of a designer, using what we have in our homes is an exciting challenge, a creative problem to solve as plastics are precious. Inspiration can be found everywhere, and coupled with innovation, we can shift to a circular age. As with all new habits, we start with small steps.

Plastics are precious: Ann Marie Shillito's 'Bee Brooch'. Ann Marie designed the red 3D printed lid to fit a clear plastic tub from Simply Cook which she has repurposed here as a packaging and display box.
Plastics are precious: Ann Marie Shillito’s ‘Bee Brooch’. Ann Marie designed the red 3D printed lid to fit a clear plastic tub from Simply Cook which she has repurposed here as a packaging and display box.

Have a browse of our online shop here

For more on The Circular Economy, information and resources:

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation Website

Applied Arts Scotland ‘Closing the Loop’

Post by Lizzie Armour -Anarkik Creations-

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