Lebrusan Studio

Offering • Sculpture crafted from the blades of police-confiscated knives and scissors • Arabel Lebrusan • 2021 Offering is a sculpture made from the blades of varying scissors and knives, carefully stacked on top of one another to form an offering bowl. Offering bowls are bowls or plates that are used to hold offerings to Gods and Goddesses. According to Buddhism, for example, offerings are an antidote to negative attachment and greed. By shaping blades commonly associated to violence into an object that offers many people a sense of calmness, Arabel explores the ways materials carry inherent meanings and how those meanings can be reshaped. This sculpture is an aspect of Arabel's multimedia exhibition, Blunt Blades. #artjewellery #artjewels #jewelleryasart #transformationofmatter #artjeweller #ukartist #artistofinstagram #contemporaryart #artbedford #TheHigginsBedford #materialsmatter #arabellebrusanart #knifecrime #sociallyengagedpractice #materiality #creativebedfordshire #bluntblades #confiscatedknives

Though paying a ‘fair price’ for a valuable asset sounds like a given, the term ‘fair trade’ was in fact coined less than 100 years ago, with the first official fair trade supply chain established in 1946. In the jewellery industry, fair trade principles did not emerge until as recently as the early 2000s. The relative novelty of fair trading as a conscious concept reveals a lot about the imperialistic foundations of today’s world, but the fair trade movement should nevertheless be credited for driving crucial change over the last two decades. Through the lens of the jewellery trade, our latest blog post defines the concept of 'fair trade jewellery' through the World Fair Trade Organisation (WTFO)’s 10 Fair Trade Principles, exploring how each addresses pressing socioeconomic and environmental issues in our industry 💚 [Photographed: Our ready-to-wear love rings, each crafted using fair-trade materials like Fairmined Gold and traceable coloured gemstones] https://lnkd.in/e_kwQ-yC

A peek #BehindTheScene's at We are PR's annual Press Day last week, where we were thrilled to reveal the fruits of months of labour, telling stories we've never told before. Keep your eyes peeled for a closer look at these exciting new collections soon 👀 A huge thank you and well done to Becky and Amanda at We are PR, who work tirelessly at this time every year to showcase their jewellery clients proudly, lending each of us a platform to present ourselves authentically 💖 #jewellerypress #jewellerypr #jewelleryevent #ethicalengagementrings #ethicalcommitmentrings #ethicalweddingrings #jewellerydesign #designerjewellery #storytelling #jewelleryremodelling #reducereuserecycle #bespokejewellery #uniquejewellery

'He does not ask about my age when I sell the gold to him' • silver, mercury, gold leaf, brass, glass & wood display • Arabel Lebrusan • 2022 This sculpture is part of 'The Book of Horrors & Hopes,' a body of work that services as a chronicle, recounting the diverse stories our founder Arabel Lebrusan has encountered throughout her journey in jewellery. "... children perform all sorts of low-skilled tasks, including building trenches, carrying loads of gold ore on their heads to washing sites (done largely by girls), washing the ore (done largely by boys), amalgamating the gold using mercury, and selling the product." - The International Labour Organisation #arabellebrusanart #art #artist #contemporaryart #womenartists #feministart #sculpture #artobject #mercury #goldmining #againstchildlabour #sustainablemetals

Today is the International Day of Non-Violence - and also the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence. 'Knife Murders 275/275. England & Wales' is a 2021 artwork by our founder Arabel Lebrusan. The piece features a set of 275 rings made from the metal of police-confiscated knives, representing knife-related homicides in England and Wales from April 2019 until March 2020. The 10 small rings represent the children who died by stabbing the 50 medium-sized rings represent the women, and the 215 large rings represent the men. Blunt Blades explored our complex relationships with knives and their varied roles within our lives. It began in 2013 when Bedfordshire Police gave Arabel three crates of confiscated knives and other sharp artefacts. Transforming the metal from these objects into works that evoke other emotions, the display examines how materials carry inherent meanings and how those meanings can be reshaped. Arabel's artworks, in their myriad forms, do not offer answers to the many issues they raise. Instead, they invite contemplation about object materiality, production of meanings and our shared humanity.

Joias (Jewels) • commemorative coin made in brass • Arabel Lebrusan • 2023 This double-sided remembrance coin is engraved with portraits of Eliane Melo and her five month-old unborn child, both of whom died in the Córrego do Feijão iron mine disaster in Brumadinho, Brasil, in 2019. Eliane was one of 272 people who lost their lives with the collapse of the tailings dam belonging to multinational mining corporation, Vale. "I view these bodies, both human and more than human, as vessels for stories that must be told and grieved with, as tragedies continue to unfold... Creating art helps me cope with the injustices of this cruel world we live in; to process humanity’s tragic histories of abuse, exploitation, and inequality - and so I hope it will also help others." - Arabel Lebrusan

Not any old Sunday! First The Jewellery Show, where our founder Arabel Lebrusan joined David Brough (Jewellery Outlook) and Greg Valerio MBE (PeaceGold™) to explore the future of sustainability in jewellery - honestly. Whilst Greg highlighted how peace mineral cooperatives have the power to abolish cycles of poverty by affording mining communities sustainable autonomy, Arabel discussed our collective need to slow down and remember the intrinsic value of precious materials. Metals and gemstones are formed over deep time through complex geological and cosmic processes, she reminded us - they're survivors of the immense timescales of the universe's evolution and should be respected as such, not viewed as pound signs through the lens of capitalist gluttony. Then it was a Piccadilly Line dash to the Professional Jeweller Awards, where Lebrusan Studio was shortlisted for Corporate Social Responsibility Retailer of the Year. Sadly it wasn't our year, but we'd like to wish huge congratulations to Mappin & Webb., who did scoop up the title. An equally hearty 'Well done!' to our supplier Hockley Mint, whose momentous steps towards energy efficiency at their facilities were recognised by the Corporate Social Responsibility Supplier of the Year award - and to everyone else celebrating their successes this year. It was the ultimate tonic to touch base with old friends and ignite new connections with the likes of the lovely Fay Cannings of Seekd. ✨❤️ (Thank you for the photos, Stuart Pool!) #jewelleryshowuk #sustainablejewellery #ethicaljewellery #sustainability #peacegold #ethicalgold #professionaljewellerawards #pjawards #professionaljeweller

The cat’s out of the bag! A huge thank you to The National Association of Jewellers for the recognition, and to our friend Anna Loucah for supporting us in the development of the Manifesto. Congratulations to everyone else who’s found themselves in the running for an award this year. Those shortlists are looking rather sparkly 🤩✨ Read the manifesto: https://lnkd.in/ecQKSWdZ

We recently made our quarterly donation to The Water Project - a commitment we've remained loyal to since 2015. Thank you for enabling us to do so. ❤️

The Lower Sixth have been working hard on their jewellery projects this term, and the DT department recently hosted three industry professionals to run an evaluation session with the group, including a judging of their final pieces. In attendance were Arabel Lebrusan (founder of Lebrusan Studio, widely considered as leading the ethical jewellery movement), Rachael Taylor (leading jewellery editor, author, speaker, and brand consultant), and Chris Oliver (Head of Professional Training at the Goldsmiths’ Centre). 💎 The morning gave the students a different perspective on jewellery design and manufacture, demystifying the industry and encouraging them to see it as a viable, exciting career choice for the future. An impressive array of final pieces were on show, ranging from rings and bracelets to necklaces and earrings. A special congratulations to prize winners Grace Simmonds (Best Final Piece), Laurence Cole (Highly Commended) and Jonty Pearson (Highly Commended). 🔨 💍