Christine Houghton
Working from her studio in the North of England, Christine Houghton has been making and building a collection of ‘artefacts’ for many years, including individual, hand-made jewellery and objects for the home.
Inspired by Japanese objects described as Wabi Sabi, she likes the pieces to show the history & authenticity of the materials.
Christine’s exclusive collection of jewellery for The Whisper Gallery consists of The Exclusive Cuff Collection of hand-engraved & etched fine silver. Irregular and asymmetrical, Christine’s work is shaped by the materials used & their properties, combined with all the subliminal influences gathered on regular travels to rural Japan & France.
The Story of The Exclusive Cuff Collection
The Cuff Collection is defined by its unique curves and contours. It lends an understated elegance to the owner and suggests a quiet, undeclared beauty. It flashes on the wrist occasionally but is anything but showy.
Indeed it could be an anti-bling statement.
How did such a beautiful object come about? The surface of the silver was patterned by hand with vertical and horizontal non-uniform marks. It was then embossed using a hand punch applied randomly like the fall of raindrops. It has a natural and irregular feel. The piece has also been oxidised in parts giving it a freckled or mottled appearance like lichen.
These individual actions render the cuff distinctly ‘unmanufactured’ and demonstrate that it has been individually made with great skill using hand tools. Being a fine silver, it does not require cleaning and will accumulate its own history over time with its tiny notches and scuffs as it passes down or diagonally from one to another.
Who deserves such a lovely piece ? You perhaps.
Maybe it says something about you that’s pitch perfect but can’t be put into words.
Or maybe it’s the sort of gift that you can give to someone because it says more than words ever can.
