Jewelry designers are doing their best to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. British jewelry designer, Liv Luttrell is known for her work in bespoke, sculptural and high jewelry. Her eponymous brand has been going for 4 years now.
When asked in an interview with JCK how the pandemic has changed her plans for 2020, Luttrell said “The pandemic has kick-started my focus on virtual and digital communications in a more intense way. My work has always been very focused on personal service and often has grown by word of mouth. In a post-pandemic world, with my clients and myself socializing and traveling less, I have been aiming to work on better and more immersive communication materials to keep my current clients connected to what’s happening in my studio, and also tell my story to future clients. I am currently working on a short film introducing my new [pieces]! All my craftsmanship is done close to home (pieces are made in my London workshop, which is, happily, walking distance from my studio). This has always been really important to me—allowing my total involvement with the creation of each piece as it develops, oversight of the materials used, and confidence in the fair treatment of all the artisans involved. During the pandemic this proximity to craftsmanship has taken on new importance and has allowed me to create and produce one-of-a-kind pieces throughout this challenging time. Keeping supply chains as simple as possible feels like a great thing at this moment.”
“I have had a studio set up at my home for many years now: It’s a creative space where I keep all my drawing, painting, and making equipment and where I devote uninterrupted time to developing new ideas. I would usually save my more formal paperwork for my official studio where I host clients for viewings and design meetings,” said Luttrell about her current workspace during this pandemic.
“During the pandemic my home studio has become my primary work space, which I have had to be very strict about: Letting paperwork and my emails into my creative space makes it a challenge to get in the right mood [to be creative]! As the lockdown has eased, I have found my way back into my old routine, traveling between the two spaces and creating more space for creativity. Fingers crossed it will continue.”
“Design output has been a really interesting subject and something I have spent hours unpacking with other creative friends,” said Luttrell regarding her work as a designer during this time. “At the start of lockdown we were all convinced that, while this would be a hugely painful time, an upside could be many more hours to indulge design ideas. In reality, I have found this period quite mixed. I have devoted a huge amount of time to the creative (apart from time spent gardening, of course) but have found the time less creatively fertile than I dreamt it would be! For me creativity is an escape, and during this time of heightened stress and collective fear for the future, it has been hard to sit down and really immerse myself in the creative process. Interestingly, I have found my sculpture practice—something that informs the jewelry I create—more easy to connect with recently” said Luttrell when asked if she has been designing any new pieces. “Perhaps it’s something to do with a time lacking in personal connection to my clients and the people I design for. As I have started meeting with more clients in person, the sculptures and shapes I developed during lockdown have been finding their way into my jewelry again.”
Information originally sourced from JCK.
