See Magdalena Radiolaria in person at the SNAG Metalsmith juried exhibition “Mineral Minded” happening as a part of at SNAG @ Tucson 2025. The juried in-person show is a feast for the eyes of jewelry and sculpture created with minerals in mind. The in-person exhibition is supplemented with an online exhibition which runs through March 31, 2025
Mineral Minded is a multi-faceted exhibition & sale highlighting SNAG’s diverse membership. This exhibition showcases pieces that include gems, pearls, minerals, or rocks of any and all types. Traditional, non-traditional, and avant-garde uses of these materials in adornment are featured.
Select pieces on view February 6-8, 2025 at SNAG @ Tucson
Cathedral Square Center, 192 S Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ
Juried by Lola Brooks and Shane R. Hendren
Exhibiting Artists: Elizabeth Bucheit, Katy Cassell, Hsinyu Candy Chu, Sherry Cordova, Jim Cotter, Reggie Davis, Hayden Holmes, Jeremy Irvin, Angela Mini Jo, Bibi Klekachkoska, Navah Langmeyer, Hannah Litt, Barbara N McFadyen, Patricia Nelson, Freeman Osabutey, Zoey Perse, Viyan Petekkaya, Pouyeh Peyman Farrokh, Enoch Platero, Lucas Pointon, Sharon Portelance, Andrew Thornton, Orlando Torres, Olive Weis
Tension set Smithsonite and Aurichalcite
Pure titanium, Stainless Steel
on Low Tarnish Sterling Silver and Stainless Steel Necklace
5.2 x 5 x 0.9 cm on handmade necklace
NFS
Hand drawn, laser cut, hand finished
The brooch was created with titanium off-cuts from motorsports racing, Smithsonite, Aurichalcite, and stainless steel
The Argentium silver necklace represents siphonophorae jelly-like segmented oceanic creatures. D-shaped rings on the necklace convert the brooch into a pendant.
The oceanic colored stones are Smithsonite and Aurichalcite are from the land locked Kelly Mine area in New Mexico where an ancestor once worked. The stones are captured between the layers with tension created by the screws and nuts joining the layers. I traveled to Magdalena, New Mexico with cardboard templates of the layers for choosing stones.
To create the templates and final pure titanium layers, Ernst Haeckel’s drawings of microscopic Radiolaria were re-drawn, modified, enlarged, digitized and two of the 3 layers were laser cut. The third layer was hand sawn. Each rough-cut layer of the brooch/pendant was hand finished, textured, and rejoined with industrially produced stainless steel screws and nuts as a subtle reminder to the wearer of our effect on even the smallest of life forms.