Having had a fiend-like obsession with jewellery ever since I was old enough to talk and beg my mother to buy me a pair of glamorous, 80s-style, emerald and diamond paste earrings, I have always watched the Maltese jewellery scene with great interest and was nothing short of thrilled when Nadege Renee Cassar was announced as one of the participants of Malta Fashion Week.

Photo: J. Ciappara

Despite the fact that I am usually more of a classic pearl and diamonds girl, I have long admired Cassar’s contemporary designs and her Un/Burnished collection, which opened at Palazzo de la Salle on May 12 with an address by Leonie Baldacchino from the Edward de Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking, did far from disappoint.

The collection, which was displayed both on models as well as in self-designed and partly self-made constructions of cuts of raw wood painted in white, consists of 34 wearable pieces which include statement necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets and bangles and is mainly made of sterling silver with 9 carat and 18 carat yellow and rose gold embellishments.

Anyone who has seen Cassar’s work knows of her love of rough stones such as epidote, raw amber, pyrite, rubelite tourmalines, raw black and Herkimer diamond and Tibetan tektites, which have the distinctive property of being formed when large meteors strike the earth.

However, in this particular collection, she also used polished and cut kyanites, moss crystal, rubies, fine cut peridots, tiger’s eye, citrine and black star sapphires to contrast with the roughness of the natural stones.

She let her imagination run wild and worked on bringing out the uniqueness and individuality of each of the stones

Something I particularly loved was that the rough/smooth juxtaposition was not limited to the stones themselves: different metals were burnished or unburnished to complement and clash with the stones in a particularly pleasing manner.

Whether Cassar textured, scratched or made a patina for each of her pieces using liver of sulphur, she truly let her imagination run wild and worked on bringing out the uniqueness and individuality of each of the stones selected for her jewellery.

Photo: M. Kingice

Not for the shy and retiring, many of the pieces are begging to be admired. One of my favourite pieces also happens to be one of the most versatile. Made with pyrite and amber, this particular piece, which was also incidentally used on the poster for the collection’s launch, is multi-purpose and though initially looks like a necklace, closer inspection confirms that part of it can be detached from the whole and worn as a scarf pin or brooch.

Another stunner with a more classic edge is a silver link necklace with emerald cut gemstones in a range of muted oranges, reds and dark greens. A pair of space age-looking amethyst earrings incorporated three cut and polished types of the purple gem.

Unlike many other jewellers, Cassar focuses on picking stones based on their aesthetic qualities rather than on their monetary value. In this way, her design process is not only an entirely organic one but also a deeply personal experience where creativity is in no way conditioned or compromised.

“Being a jeweller, but not having yet focused on the study of gems, I was unaware that some of these beautiful stones even existed and I was thrilled to learn about these minerals in the making of this collection,” the designer said.

To her, jewellery making is an ongoing process of growth during which she is constantly on the lookout for the new and, ultimately, the exciting.

The exhibition remains open until June 9 from 8am to 3pm. On Saturdays and Sundays, it is closed.