Description

Mihaela Coman’s Thatch House Brooch is a unique, one-off piece. It is inspired by the roofs of old houses that Mihaela came across exploring East Anglia and is part of Mihaela’s latest series Brit a Brick.  The result is a truly distinctive brooch that attaches with steel pin.

Mihaela is an independent jeweller who lives in North Norfolk. She is one of our GroundJewels selected artists.

Mihaela creates enchanting jewellery and as a maker she seeks to engage with the wearer, offering a portal to her world. She uses jewellery as a means to tell stories:

“Narrative jewellery is most helpful, because it can be figurative and allows me to play with objects and people in the most direct way”.

Brit a Brick Collection

For her latest collection “Brit a Brick”, Mihaela was inspired by the landscape of her new home, Norfolk. She spent a lot of time walking and exploring during the national lockdown. She was drawn to the typical old flint and carstone churches and buildings. Red bricks and flint walls define Norfolk’s architecture. Using wood, silver and copper Mihaela echoes these local, historic qualities in distinctive, wearable sculptures. The Thatch House Brooch is one of 18 unique pieces in the Brit a Brick series.

Telling Stories with Jewellery

Each collection portrays a different narrative, and each item of jewellery is a unique, one-off piece. Series include “Childhood Memories” of Communist Romania “The Burden of the Past” and “Such a Waste”. We can relate to her compelling narratives through prosaic objects such as clothes and shopping bags. Mihaela’s talent is to commemorate these everyday objects in precious metal.

About Mihaela

Mihaela grew up in Romania and lived there until recently. Then, when her daughter left for the UK, Mihaela decided to follow. She left her job in Bucharest and began a masters course in Jewellery at the University for Creative Arts. In 2019 she graduated and next year she will begin her PhD at Edinburgh College of Art .

Mihaela has created the perfect medium for her artistic expression:

“Empowered by the freedom of expression that jewellery can offer, I hope that my work is an authentic, sincere and honest expression of my ideas and emotions.”