This is a pin from a series of jewelry pieces in frames, made in collaboration with English jeweler Sarah Parker-Eaton. You can appreciate the piece hanging on the wall and then take the pin out to wear it!

The whole series was created after reading an article in Mother Jones magazine about extinction. I have supported environmental causes for many years and I thought it was time to make work expressing my concern about the direction that the human race is going in with regard to its disregard to nature and the planet as a delicately balanced ecosystem.

This particular piece was inspired by the seed pod afzelia africana. The tree found in the heart of Africa, and useful for its medicinal properties is now classed as vulnerable on the IUCN threatened species list. The colours in the background reflect the rich warm colours of the African tundra and the writing is a quote from Chief Seattle made in 1855:

“Humankind has not woven the web of life, we are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together, all things connect”.

The piece is a pin in a frame of reclaimed pine. The main body of the pin is made from english sycamore – carved and airbrushed with the addition of gold leaf beneath each seed. The silver seeds on the pin and nameplate were hand fabricated and oxidised by Sarah. The frame was designed and put together by me.

It measures 230mm x 140mm x 30mm. The pin itself is 100mm long. It is signed on the back of the frame by both of us.

You can buy the Afzelia Africana Pin from Louise Hibbert on Etsy.