Miss Sofie Boons' Outputs (35)

Crystal growing design method: An investigation into the growing of crystals for jewellery designs (2022)
Journal Article

Grown crystals are used for a range of novel innovations supporting a wide array of industries such as technology, medicine and electronics. Within the jewellery industry however, grown crystals are only used in a limited capacity and those of gemsto... Read More about Crystal growing design method: An investigation into the growing of crystals for jewellery designs.

Neo-gemstones: An alchemical jeweller’s exploration of lab-grown crystals and related technologies, proposing innovations whilst challenging context, terminology, and underlying assumptions (2025)
Thesis

With crystal growing techniques having been around since the 19th century, man-made crystals now drive innovations in various industries. However, this has not fully translated into the jewellery industry, where efforts to de-value them have limited... Read More about Neo-gemstones: An alchemical jeweller’s exploration of lab-grown crystals and related technologies, proposing innovations whilst challenging context, terminology, and underlying assumptions.

In-situ growth of ruby within metal jewelry structures (2025)
Journal Article

This work explores the innovative in situ growth of ruby crystals within metal jewelry structures, merging artistic creativity with scientific methodology. By re-exploring historical practices where art and science coexisted, this research highlights... Read More about In-situ growth of ruby within metal jewelry structures.

Glowing brilliance: A jewellery and crystal growth collaboration (2025)
Journal Article

This paper documents the collaboration between industrial crystal grower BREVALOR (Switzerland) and Sofie Boons (United Kingdom) conducted as part of a Case Study set up to explore whether the collaboration between art/design (jewellery) and science... Read More about Glowing brilliance: A jewellery and crystal growth collaboration.

Capturing and cultivating print & book craft practices in the UK (2024)
Journal Article

The type of intensive training previously needed for crafts in the printing trade is now redundant, but as craft practices are added biannually to Heritage Craft’s UK Red List of Endangered Crafts, there is a pressing need to preserve skills whilst a... Read More about Capturing and cultivating print & book craft practices in the UK.

The future is a work in progress (2024)
Exhibition / Performance

A collaborative exhibition as the partners shared the culmination of five years dedicated pursuit of knowledge, funded through a groundbreaking E3 initiative by Research England in 2019. During this time four centres of design-research excellence acr... Read More about The future is a work in progress.

Neo-Gemstones (2024)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

Researcher, jeweller and podcastmaker Sofie Boons spoke about her work on Tuesday 5th of March at 19h00, in the Showroom of Sint Lucas Antwerpen, Van Schoonbekestraat 143, Antwerpen.

You may know Sofie Boons as the Alchemical Jeweller. She resear... Read More about Neo-Gemstones.

BBC Free Thinking Episode: Victorian Colour, Jewellery and Metalwork (2023)
Digital Artefact

Man-made gems are the subject of research being undertaken by jeweller Sofie Boons. She joins presenter Nandini Das alongside Matthew Winterbottom, the curator of an exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford which explores the explosion of colour... Read More about BBC Free Thinking Episode: Victorian Colour, Jewellery and Metalwork.

The alchemical dream of man-made gemstones (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

With crystal growing techniques having been around for many years, bespoke man-made crystals now drive innovations in a range of industries. This has however not fully translated to the jewellery industry, where innovations with man-made crystals hav... Read More about The alchemical dream of man-made gemstones.

Intergem Fair display (2023)
Exhibition / Performance

During the Intergem Fair 2023 the pieces created in collaboration with Brevalor were displayed by the stand 'Klein & Becker'.

Capturing and cultivating craft practices in the UK (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

The type of intensive training previously needed for crafts in the printing trade is now redundant, but as craft practices are added biannually to Heritage Craft’s UK Red List of Endangered Crafts, there is a pressing need to preserve skills whilst a... Read More about Capturing and cultivating craft practices in the UK.

The alchemical dream and reality of man-made gemstones: A review of 10 stones (2023)
Digital Artefact

Through the exploration of 10 stones, I will reflect on our fascination with gemstones and our attempts at creating them. I will outline some of the techniques used to grow them, what a crystal is and what they are used for; from jewellery to electro... Read More about The alchemical dream and reality of man-made gemstones: A review of 10 stones.

Laboratory grown colour and gems (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

The search for, wearing and collecting of gemstones has been a popular endeavour for many decades. For most gemmologists, jewellers and gemstone collectors, the crushing of a stone would be the greatest sin. For painters or those who create pigments... Read More about Laboratory grown colour and gems.

Testing grounds - The SIM project (2022)
Exhibition / Performance

Exploring how the SIM card shapes a sense of security, identity and community, the project disrupts the automated nature of the smartphone to create unique, wearable artworks, stamped with QR codes. Exhibition of SIM card size glass plate photographs... Read More about Testing grounds - The SIM project.

The SIM Project (2022)
Exhibition / Performance

The installation features SIM artworks created with over 100 participants from countries including Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Senegal and Libya at workshops held in the UK, Greece, Finland and Cyprus.

The SIM artworks are d... Read More about The SIM Project.

The alchemical dream of man-made crystals (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

Contemporary jewellers are considered artists of the miniature sentiment and crafters of the wearable statement. Outside the realm of status and commodity, jewellery can be used to visualise the intangible and conceptual, creating objects and adornme... Read More about The alchemical dream of man-made crystals.

Man-made crystals: A review of their historic and contemporary context and use (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

This paper reports on the history and use of man-made crystals for jewellery in a contemporary context. The cross-disciplinary contextual review traces human fascination with gemstones back centuries, and covers key developments in their ‘imitation’.... Read More about Man-made crystals: A review of their historic and contemporary context and use.

Man-made crystals for jewellery (2021)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

With crystal growing techniques having been around for many years, bespoke man-made crystals now drive innovations in a range of industries. This has however not translated into the jewellery industry, where innovations with man-made crystals have re... Read More about Man-made crystals for jewellery.

Man-made gems: An investigation into the design implications, possibilities and limitations of utilising man-made gems for jewellery (2021)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

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

Man-made crystals: A review of their historic and contemporary context and use (2021)
Journal Article

This paper reports on the history and use of man-made crystals for jewelry in a contemporary context. The cross-disciplinary contextual review traces human fascination with gemstones back centuries, and covers key developments in their "imitation."Th... Read More about Man-made crystals: A review of their historic and contemporary context and use.