15 Mar

Following The Journey Of Recycled Jewellery With Ara The Altar

Describe Ara The Altar in 3 words!

Earth aware adornment

What was the mission behind starting Ara The Altar and what's the story behind the name?

My background was in fashion shoot production and before too long I began feeling uneasy operating within the endless seasonal cycles which really opened my eyes to overconsumption and waste. As a shoot producer, I was working in a pretty logistical role so on a bit of an impulse I took a one day silversmithing course to get my teeth into something creative. I slowly developed my silversmithing practice from home, building up the tools and teaching myself new skills over the years. At the same time I’d been taking steps to lessen my own environmental impact and paying more attention to how the things I bought were actually made, and what impact this had. Ara the altar then developed quite organically as a project to align the two; to responsibly create jewellery for others like me who were looking for genuine assurances about how, where and by whom their products were made. When it comes to the name, I’m very drawn to the ancient world and its relationship with astronomy and nature. The name Ara the altar comes from a small constellation, Ara, which translates from latin as ‘the altar’.In early illustrations, Ara was depicted as an altar with burning incense, rising smoke, or sacrificial offerings. My interpretation of this translated into the responsible sourcing, creating & offering of objects upon a conceptual altar.

I founded Ara the altar on four core pillars:

RESPECT FOR THE EARTH and those who inhabit it

SLOW AND CIRCULAR approach to design, production and consumption

DESIGN FOR LONGEVITY not trend

GENUINE ASSURANCES about where and how Ara products are made

Follow along to learn how Lauren makes The Eye Amulet:

Which product are you most excited about currently and why?

I’ve been really excited about the kind of commissions I’ve been taking on more recently. After investing in an eclectic furnace, I can now produce one off castings in my own workshop using the sandcasting method. Sandcasting uses a renewable material to produce the mould, so it can be used over and over again, minimising waste.

Rather than relying on the more commonly used method of gas to heat the metal to the correct temperature for pouring (often used for sandcasting), my electric furnace can heat the precious metal to the correct temperature using renewable energy. For these commissions, I work together with my client to create a design unique to them, suitable for sandcasting. Due to the nature of this process, there is more limitation with complexity of design, but the outcome can produce beautiful results, with a unique texture of the sand imprinted on the surface of the metal. I carve the design in blue wax and form a mould with the sand. This is quite a slow, almost meditative process that procures a unique, organic result.

What’s next for Ara The Altar?

I’m really excited to launch my very first Ara workshop in May. Building on Ara’s values it’ll have a focus on respect for the planet and those who inhabit it, with the processes we adopt.It’ll be a guided, ritual focussed session during which we’ll design and carve our own amulet in wax, specifically for sandcasting. We’ll then go one step further and each create our own sand mould, which I will then take away to cast everyone’s amulets in recycled solid silver or gold, refine and finish them in my workshop.

I’m currently developing some sample pieces to help give an idea of what can be possible within this workshop. I’m really looking forward to sharing this space with others, and to see what everyone conjures up.