Fibonacci Vase

Those of you who visited our stand at Goldsmiths’ Fair this year will have noticed the three new pieces we have been making over the summer – a series of solid silver vases.

This summer project has allowed us to combine our signature sculptural hot-forgings with the technique of raising, a process that requires patience and precision and uses a more delicate hammer than Brett’s favourite 1.5 kilo forging tool.

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Inspiraton for the larger of these three vases was drawn originally from the Fibonacci Curve, also known as the Golden Spiral (although we prefer silver!), a mathematical formular expressed in a curve that holds the key to some of nature’s most intricate patterns and sequences, including the fruitlets of a pineapple and the ancestry of honey bees!

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The vase comprises two elements: the vessel and the curve. The vessel, which will eventually hold the flowers, is raised by hand from a disc of Britannia silver, gradually taking shape as the metal is worked cold over a stake.

The curve, designed to support the vessel and provide the piece with that all important movement and drama, is forged hot from a solid bar and tapered and shaped to match the Fibonacci Curve.

Once both elements are complete, a handle is soldered onto the outside of the vessel so that it can be ‘latched’ onto the curve, and the inside is gilded to give it a warm colour and protect it from the flower water.

After hallmarking and polishing, the only decision left to be made is which flowers to display in it! Under the bright lights of Goldsmiths’ Fair we went through several different arrangements thoughout the course of the week, beginning with beautiful purple tulips and finishing with a magnificent bouqet of lillies.

Photo: Jerry Lampson

If you would like to see the Fibonacci Vase ‘up-close’ come and see us at one of the many shows we will attending in the next two months. Our next show will be the Craft In Focus Contemporary Craft & Design Fair in Sevenoaks, followed by events in Crowthorne, Winchester, Edinburgh and Hamburg.