No. 1 Rusticator Series Necklace

Kate Mess

Rusticator Series Necklace by Enamel Artist Kate Mess in Maine USA
  • Rusticator Series Necklace by Enamel Artist Kate Mess in Maine USA
  • Rusticator Series Necklace by Enamel Artist Kate Mess in Maine USA
  • Rusticator Series Necklace by Enamel Artist Kate Mess in Maine USA
  • Rusticator Series Necklace by Enamel Artist Kate Mess in Maine USA
  • Rusticator Series Necklace by Enamel Artist Kate Mess in Maine USA
  • $600.00

Using an experimental process involving a laser, jewelry artist Kate Mess has modernized an age old art by way of this Rusticator Series.

Created at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine, this aptly-named series boasts a rural origin, a rustic oxidized finish, and landscape-esque imagery reminiscent of Japanese landscape paintings.

The design found on the enamel finds its source in the environment. A close-up photograph of an intriguing pattern seen in nature is adapted on a computer to its most basic image of positive-negative space. The computer-guided laser then etches the pattern on the enamel. A truly innovative design.

The artist hand saws a unique design in the setting and a handmade chain of bent and hammered silver is just as important as the beautiful pendant itself.

Like many of her pieces, the contrasting front side and back side of the pendant offer a surprising and delightful duality.

- Chain measures 22"
- Pendant measures 3.5" x 3.25"
- Oxidized Argentium silver chain and setting

Kate Mess is an award-winning contemporary jeweler, artist, and designer. She muses with enamel, metal, pattern, and ornamentation while taking inspiration from her home: rugged and gorgeous midcoast Maine.

Making jewelry that pushes boundaries and offers new definitions of adornment, Mess is intrigued by experimentation, clever design, color, pattern, and silhouette.

At The Good Supply, we believe there is infinite value in the idea of slow living; slow enough for barnacles to grow, reclaiming space and intention. That’s why we love Kate Mess.

Kate’s work and artistic processes illustrate the value of taking time. Whether hand sawing designs into metal, melting down repurposed materials, or carefully collecting the ash by-product of kiln fired enamel for the next piece of jewelry, she lets the process guide and inspire her along the way.

We are proud to work with both Kate and her husband Jonathan Mess, award-winning ceramic artist. Their studio endeavors have been closely linked since they met in graduate school in 2006. Renowned in their respective disciplines for innovation in pushing material boundaries, both Kate and Jonathan credit Maine’s rugged coastline and nature as their primary inspiration.

A recent Good Supply art exhibition entitled Symbiosis explored the similarities and differences in Kate and Jonathan’s work. The way their practices intertwine opens a dialogue of the benefit of cross-medium influence and experimentation. The couple work out of studio spaces in their home, a renovated gambrel barn in Jefferson, Maine.

From the Artist:

I enjoy imagining my creative inquiries as they leave my studio and go off into the world to live a life completed with you, emerging from my two hands in my studio in the Maine woods to come alive adorning your life or home.

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