Justin Duance: sculpture for your body

Yew pebble shaped earrings with silver inlay. 28mm X 12mm X 10mm. E33Y £47 (about $91 USD. Buy 'em!)

Living in Newlyn, Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom, Justin Duance finds the inspiration for his exquisite jewelry art in the natural mingling of earth and sea in his seaside fishing town.

Once visited by the epiphany that

"jewellry was just a miniature form of sculpture, with the potential to contain deeper meanings because the pieces are so intimate to the wearer,"

he went on to develop a style which, to me, is reminiscent of surf-burnished pebbles, bubbles in the ocean and the bands of color on the horizon at sunset. You'll also find in his work the textures of driftwood and the patterns that retreating waves leave in the sand.

Kingwood pebble shaped earrings with 1mm silver dots of inlay. They measure 30mm X 20mm X 10mm E3K E34K £51 (about $99 USD. Buy 'em!)

I love the form of this pendant, the wood grain reminds me of the beautiful layers in the flesh of salmon, (Leaf shaped silver pendant with a large section of Yew inlaid. 13mm wide 50mm long 1.8mm deep. P4L £70 (about $136 USD. Buy it!) about which Justin explains,

"Yew is the one that changes the most when you wear it. It darkens and sometimes goes a deeper red but it is still obvious that it is wood."

Thus the previous quoted 'intimacy' of jewelry to its wearer: Justin's jewelry takes on a natural patina dictated by one's personal body chemistry. Justin can adjust the length of the chain or bracelet, or if you prefer a different wood such as Indian rosewood or a beautifully grained oak, you can simply request it by filling out the proper form on his site. Shipping on all his exquisite pieces is free (which is always a very good thing) worldwide, and he welcomes custom orders!

Beautifully designed and rendered bracelets, rings, cuff links, earstuds, earrings, and pendants are all available at Justin's site here.

All photos courtesy of the artist.