Aubin Stewart, a jewellery designer based in Aberdeen in Scotland, creates vibrant wearable designs that are each imbued with an animated persona. Stewart uses found materials to create composite earrings, necklaces and brooches, which are defined by solid colours and the juxtaposition of contrasting shapes. The Scottish designer lets the materials she works with inspire her designs and process. Further, Stewart, in her designs, plays with 'the relationship between the perceived value of what is precious and the constraints of the materials' she works with.

She acquires these materials, which range from discarded objects to off-cuts left behind during the production of clothes, shoes and products, from a variety of sources in her vicinity and in the creative circles she frequents. More recently, Stewart has been experimenting to add pieces to her Pivot Collection. Jewellery pieces comprising the collection are made from a mixture of offcut ash, sycamore, rosewood and walnut. The designer then coats each component with a Formica sheet and accentuates them by hand piercing individual entities and combining them with precious elements such as silver and pearls to build a cohesive design. Most designs made by Stewart comprise moving parts that the wearer can fiddle with, and can be reversed and worn.

STIR established a dialogue with Stewart, who divides her time as a designer and teacher, to understand her inspirations and processes. Edited excerpts from the conversation are below.

Almas Sadique: Tell us a little about your journey as a designer. What are some early experiences that inspired you to pursue this discipline?

Aubin Stewart: I've always found fashion, self-expression and the joy of dressing up to express your personality fascinating. Growing up in the 90s, music culture and 'scenes' were huge, and the clothes you wore were a way of showing which tribe you belonged to. I’d think that fashion might be where I would end up, but instead, I chose jewellery design.

My journey into contemporary jewellery design began when I was first introduced to the subject at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee, Scotland, in 1996. The department was very encouraging in being experimental with materials and scale; this revealed new and exciting approaches to jewellery making that I had never considered before, and I realised I could cross over into sculpture and fashion. From then on, I was hooked.

After graduating in 2000, I worked for several years in the jewellery trade as a jewellery designer in a commercial setting, where I learned about the practical skill of making and designing jewellery for clients. By 2012, I had set up my own creative practice and began making jewellery collections with less of a commercial focus and more of a contemporary design approach.

Almas: Tell us about some artists, designers, art forms and design movements that inspire you and inform your work.

Aubin: I am a big fan of retro design, particularly the Atomic Age in the 1960s, where so many aspects of design were shaped by the space race happening at the time. The [Atomic Age aesthetic] movement strived for modernity with bright and colourful aesthetics, usage of round, organic forms and the common occurrence of new materials such as plastics and metals. These are themes that I explore in my work.

I love nothing better than a trawl through markets to find a mid-century bargain! Artists I admire include Hilma Af Klint, whom I stumbled across by accident while visiting the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen a few years ago. There was a retrospective exhibition of her work, and the colour and composition of her artworks blew me away.

Almas: What is your process of sourcing materials?

Aubin: I look at everything as a potential material—from something discarded on the pavement to the colourful lids found on laundry detergent bottles. I often gather discarded materials from other makers in the studio community that I am part of, too. I have created work using leather off-cuts from a bag designer and timber waste from a luthier. I am always drawn to the idea of making something beautiful and precious from things that are discarded or seen as scrap by others. The motivation is that this approach is both sustainable and exciting. This way of working has led me to become a part of a sustainable, future-focused, maker-led collective based in Scotland called Closing the Loop. Together, we have formed a network where we share good sustainable practice methods, generate new work by exchanging materials and promote these approaches by disseminating our findings through exhibitions and knowledge-sharing events.

Almas: What are your favourite materials to work with and why?

Aubin: I love working with materials that are repurposed to surprise people and challenge perceived ideas on what preciousness means to different people. I created a small series of works recently that incorporated the insoles of discarded trainers donated to me by a friend who wanted to see them repurposed instead of ending up in a landfill. I used the material in a way that made its origin completely unrecognisable and paired it with smaller precious elements. This piece was selected for Munich Jewellery Week in 2023. I enjoy the feeling of mischief when revealing this to people and seeing their reaction, which is usually surprise or disbelief.

Almas: What are some materials that are difficult to work with? How do you deal with them?

Aubin: In 2022, I worked on a project called the Radical Jewellery Makeover, a jewellery movement that started in the United States and explores the thoughtful repurposing of costume jewellery into contemporary designs. In the jewellery sector, precious metals and gemstones are often reused and hold their value. Costume jewellery, however, is often made from low-value materials and base metals discarded and destined for landfills. I took part in the Scottish instalment of this project, where I was given a randomly selected group of broken costume jewellery and tasked with reinventing the materials into something new. This was a challenging process, not having been in control of selecting the materials and having to find ways of creating something out of parts I would not have selected if I had the choice. The challenge ended up being very rewarding, and I really enjoyed the process.

Almas: Tell us a little about your designing and making process.

Aubin: My process of making and designing is both very experimental. If I am working with a material that is new to me, I do lots of sampling to understand its limits. I find this constraint a challenge that I readily accept and involves lots of problem-solving. Prototyping is how I make discoveries, and I enjoy this part of the process.

Almas: To what extent do you process the materials that you find, to reach the final form?

Aubin: My work is often constructed using cold joining methods such as riveting, prongs and stitch joints. With much of the materials I use being found or repurposed, I need to consider that I don't always know what they are composed of. In these instances, I try not to alter the material in any way. I find these limitations to be a great motivator, and I enjoy thinking of new ways to construct designs where altering the original state of the material is limited to only drilling, piercing or cutting.

Almas: Which style would you say your jewellery best fits under?

Aubin: I consider my jewellery to be firmly in the contemporary jewellery category.

Almas: If you were to style a person's wardrobe in accordance with your jewellery, what would it look like?

Aubin: Stylish, colourful, comfortable and definitely paired with red lipstick. Style is important to me, but so is comfort. I take great care to consider the weight of earrings when making larger pieces to make sure they feel good to wear. I also consider the ease of use with my work and interchangeability to be important; much of my work can be repositioned easily, and necklaces can be worked at different lengths.

Almas: What are the most common pieces of jewellery that you design?

Aubin: I love making earrings, probably because I love wearing earrings! I always make a special effort to consider the weight and comfort of earrings when designing. I often make earrings reversible to allow the wearer more than one colourway. I tend to use lighter materials to allow larger-scale designs to feel comfortable and make a statement.

Almas: What do you hope to experiment with in the future?

Aubin: I'd love to explore prototyping using Gravity Sketch in VR. After being introduced to immersive technology recently, I would love to dedicate more time to exploring this technology further.

Almas: What's NEXT for you?

Aubin: This year, I am taking some time to experiment with new materials and designs. I'd like to explore making work using laundry detergent bottles specifically and find new ways to make this into a material that I can elevate in a way that can be viewed as precious.