This brooch combines silver and steel and is handmade by Heather McDermott in Scottland. Heather takes her inspiration from the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland.
Heather says “The tideline of Skye is a treasure trove of unique objects discarded from the urban environment and reformed by the battering of the sea. The landscape is dense with windswept linear grasses on the hillside and gnarled trees moulded by the ever-changing weather. I love using a mixture of materials within my work and in particular I like the industrial nature of stainless steel. Each link is hand formed into soft geometric shapes mimicking fishing nets and lobster pots. I love the juxtaposition of industrial methods with the free flowing nature of the shapes I surround it with. I use a combination of metals within this brooch and marry the linear stainless steel triangles with the more structured layered silver shapes.”
I like the combination of solid and vacant shapes creating shadows. Depending on what I wear the brooch on, will also change the light and dark dynamics. Heather’s scatter of triangles is easy to wear and one I go to frequently, it always attracts attention and comment.
Though I have Scottish heritage and have visited various parts of Scotland I have never been to Skye. It is one of those places which conjures up powerful images of nature in all its beauty. The Isle of Skye has been occupied since the stone age, in the 1266 Treaty of Perth it became part of Scotland.
The righthand side of the brooch with the scatter of outlined triangles reminds me of paperclips. I have a little wooden pot on my desk with paperclips which I use regularly. The patent for paperclips was first logged in 1867 by a Samuel B Fay in America, it was designed to secure slips of paper to fabric. But it wasn’t until the 1890s that the design we know today was produced, made of metal and originally called a ‘clinch’. Over the years there have been numerous designs for this humble office necessity and on the Early Office Museum there is a great list of designs that have come and gone over the years.