Conclusion

This research report explores the use of roses as inspiration to create contemporary jewellery. Finding personal meaning in roses was a great experience for me. I also enjoyed exploring the imitation of roses using metal to make rose petals. At first, it was difficult to find an artist or jewellery designer who used the same references and techniques as I did. To make things easier, I started looking those who created final products that related to my work, rather than those who used techniques I was already using. This helped me to learn and try out different techniques to create my floral jewellery.

Rather than using pictures, I bought roses so that I could have a reference right in front of me as I worked. This helped me realize that roses come in many different sizes. This inspired me to try making both life-sized roses and rose imitations on a smaller scale, which worked out well for me. I also enjoyed working with metal throughout this process. However, I felt I was not experimenting enough, which lead me to start drying out roses. During the drying process, the rose petals became small and smaller. When I peeled off the petals from the dried roses, they were curlier than the fresh ones. I fell in love with this new shape, and decided to imitate them as well.

The dried rose petals inspired me to imitate rose petals as they are and the etching technique help me find how I can make detailed rose petals. The bright colours of the roses I bought brightened my mood and the process of making rose petals was very soothing, bringing peace to my heart. I am encouraged to continue with imitating my favourite flowers to create more contemporary jewellery for both men and women in the future.