With the new season approaching, I've been looking over and reassessing some of my samples for the next collection. One of my favourite pieces includes a hammered brass and rolo chain necklace featuring discs and chain from old factory stock. Due to their age, the discs were more of a dullish orange shade, but with a quick wash and polish they've acquired a beautiful golden shine. Initially, I wanted the necklace to fall at a longer length, but after a few wears I couldn't stand the jangling sound with every movement. So as to avoid sounding like a walking wind chime, I removed a few inches and the jangling sound has thankfully been reduced. As much as I like the design, I feel as though it didn't do my original research justice. Inspired by 16th Century armour, richly detailed textiles and Baroque interiors, perhaps I could have been a little more adventurous with those discs and created something that explored the design further. So as a personal project, I've gone back to my research and set about creating a number of experimental pieces, just for the fun of it. So far, I've begun work on a neckpiece combining brass and leather, and also the beginning of a cropped vest-style item (pictured below). It feels good to be working on something different to the usual shop pieces, a little fun on the side and perhaps an incentive to continue this more often. Image credit: my own photographs