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Man-made gems: An investigation into the design implications, possibilities and limitations of utilising man-made gems for jewellery

Boons, Sofie

Authors



Abstract

With crystal growing techniques having been around for many years, bespoke man-made gems now drive innovations in a range of industries. This has however not translated into the jewellery industry, where innovations with man-made gems have remained limited, and most are still produced to replicate mined gems. This paper documents my PhD study which is investigating the design implications, possibilities and limits of utilising man-made gems in the development of jewellery designs. As part of the research, and whilst conducting experiments and developing planned collaborations, the changing role of the designer is explored in relation to the amount of control and input the designer has had in the material development stage. Furthermore, the appreciation of these man-made gems and the context in which they are appraised is explored as part of the contextual review.

Citation

Boons, S. (2021, December). Man-made gems: An investigation into the design implications, possibilities and limitations of utilising man-made gems for jewellery. Paper presented at IASDR 2021: The ninth Congress of the International Association of Societies of Design Research, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Presentation Conference Type Conference Paper (unpublished)
Conference Name IASDR 2021: The ninth Congress of the International Association of Societies of Design Research
Conference Location The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Start Date Dec 5, 2021
End Date Dec 9, 2021
Deposit Date Dec 9, 2021
Keywords man-made gems; jewellery; authenticity; growing design
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/8219323
Additional Information IASDR 2021 is the ninth Congress of the International Association of Societies of Design Research. The overarching theme of IASDR 2021 is ‘[ _ ] With Design: Reinventing Design Modes’. Design finds itself at a critical moment where the conventional ‘modes’ of doing, thinking and application are increasingly challenged by the troubled ideology of globalisation, climate changes, migration patterns and rapid restructuring of locally driven manufacturing sectors. In addition, the wider call for design to become more open and more cross- and trans-disciplinary has further blurred boundaries between disciplinary and knowledge domains, challenging both design discourses and designers to steer praxis and thinking across unchartered territory for the sake of innovation and advancing research. In combination with the environmental, cultural, technological, and, crucially, pandemic transitions, the call heeds for design at large to fundamentally alter its modes of practice. Beyond the conventional models of conducting research, or developing solutions to ‘wicked’ problems, the recoupling of design with different modes should be seen as an expression to embrace other capacities of thinking, criticisms and productions. The coupling of DESIGN with SOCIAL, MAKING, BUSINESS, CRITICAL, HISTORICAL/PROJECTIVE, IMPACT, PANDEMIC and ALTERNATIVE MODES necessitates the rescripting of all aptitudes and practices. ‘[ _ ] With Design: Reinventing Design Modes’ encourages design researchers to discuss, elaborate and investigate emerging modes of design research that transcend disciplines in order to serve a multitude of goals and scales. This overarching theme wishes to solicit the definition of new frameworks, models, methods, products and unexpected outcomes in this questioning of design futures.


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