Description

Linda McFarlane’s Pearl and Orange Abalone Necklace, is a colourful piece. Made up of orange abalone shell and freshwater pearls, this necklace is an ode to the sea. It’s a longer length, making it wearable with any outfit and the perfect addition to a layered necklace look.

Linda McFarlane has been working as a jeweller for some 15 years. She began as a logical extension of her original training and lifelong interest in fashion-design and textile arts. She takes a restrained approach and likes to explore the possibilities presented by the use of simple materials and forms. Nevertheless, she enjoys making the most of varied textures, colours, and reflective qualities.

‘I like my work to be individual and affordable and distinct from that found on the high street. I enjoy experimenting with such materials as stainless steel, rubber, Perspex, glass, with bold forms to create surprising yet harmonious wearable sculpture.’

Linda places particular emphasis on opposites in her work. She likes to play with contrasts such as light and dark, rough and smooth, shiny and dull. She has made a special range of environmental jewellery for GroundWork gallery using natural materials such as stone, shell, lava and leather. Linda often experiments with new combinations of materials and designs. As well as in textiles, Linda’s background is in teaching and she lives and works in Norwich.

About the materials

Abalone is a common name for any of a group of small to very large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae. Other common names are ear shells.