Promissum
In the third year of Elisava, I had a subject in which I was offered a very open brief. A project in which I had to conclude with an object in which I had worked with the following three materials: stone, clay and wool. It didn't matter what format, stone or clay I used. The only premise I was given was that the stone should hold, the clay contain and the wool protect.
I was inspired by my sister, who was pregnant. Pregnancy is one of the best stages for a woman. A time of waiting in which a life grows in her womb. As the months go by, the body starts to gain volume and the fingers get wider.
This jewelry box in the shape of an oyster, makes an allegory for this period, because in the same way, the oyster raises a pearl, a treasure inside. Promissum (promise in Latin) is intended to hold the two most beloved jewels, the fiancée's ring and the wedding ring. This is where the origin of its name comes from.
Three parts make up the jewellery box. The shape of the oyster made of clay, which serves as a lid. The stone in which we find the counter-shape of the oyster; this will be the base. And inside, the oyster itself (the part we eat), made of wool. In it we will find two compartments to protect and safeguard the two rings separately. I chose to make the oyster with mud, as I though it would be more comfortable to mould the irregularities of the shell of this marine mollusc. The color had to be dark brown to imitate this shell in the most realistic way. The white stone as a contrast to the dark of the shell. The counter-shape of the oyster is in the centre of the stone base. This is the only work that has been given to the stone. My intention was that, just as we see the oyster, we would also see the stone, the wool and the mud. The function of wool is to protect the great treasure. It was moulded to become the mollusc, with an opening inside, to obtain two departments.
So, I can say that this project made with sustainable materials, fulfills the brief enunciated: containing in the mud, holding in the stone and protecting the wool. Carried out with a style between brutalist and refined. Besides being functional, ithas a great history behind it. Promissum not only takes care and keeps my sister's rings, so, when she sees them she remembers every day the great treasure she is creating together with her husband: a beautiful family.
