Sculptural shapes
- Siegfried sees jewellery as sculptures for the body
- He aspires to create emotionally charged objects
- He combines noble and non-precious materials
At the age of 14 years old, contemporary jewellery designer and silversmith Siegfried De Buck started his trajectory at the Ecole des Métiers d’Arts in the Abbey of Maredsous. Afterwards he perfected his studies at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg. When he launched his own studio in 1971, the movement to redefine jewellery had just started. The idea of a piece of jewellery being a sculpture for the body, as a result of the artistic process, immediately resonated with him. Although this journey hasn’t always been the easiest one – the jewellery pieces were even called torture devices at one point, almost 50 years later the uomo universale is still passionate. He has taught his craft for 25 years and his pieces are part of museum collections around the world.
INTERVIEW
Something should be recognisable, but at the same time also have individuality. Besides being beautiful, it should be emotionally and conceptually charged. It should have intangible qualities. It must radiate power and have a soul.
As jewellery is sculpture for the body, it needs to make the wearer feel empowered. If the choice is right, a spontaneous communication will start. That’s why I also love to work with recycled gold: it’s a powerful, almost mythical material.
I was among the first to use 3D-printing, I invented the TIG welding technique and I was one of the first to use recycled gold. I also started to combine noble and non-precious materials, which still function as a leitmotiv in my work.
Do what you want to do, don’t think about the public. Follow your own feeling, but stand with both feet in this world. You have to know what happens in society, and you have to be part of it, but you need to be visionary. Don’t stop reinventing.
