Nicola Knackstredt Jewellery

It’s official! Together with and as part of I’ll be showing ‘Outside our Boxes’ 12-29 September!

I first visited Radiant Pavilion in 2019 when I was an art student at ANU. It’s a biannual jewellery festival held in Melbourne, featuring local and international contemporary jewellers. It was a pipe dream to one day be included, and I’m so proud to have been accepted to present my work alongside some truly incredible and talented artists who I deeply admire.

This year has been busy with work for this festival (and other, non-jewellery related things!). Some of you may be seeing some unfamiliar work on my stories, and this is why!

For this exhibition, me and my former classmate Saskia have created a series of experimental jewellery pieces born from a collaborative process taking the form of an art school ‘crit’. Each artist has responded to prompts and feedback from the other, forcing us to push our limits and take us on a journey into the unknown.

This piece (a pendant) is called ‘The Joy of Making #1’ and is made from cotton, plastic and silk. It measures 185(h) x 125(w) x 20(d)mm.

Can’t wait to share the rest with you!

It was so special to receive two emerging artist awards last night! Thank you Capital Arts Patrons' Organisation, Craft + Design Canberra and All Insure!

The grant money I received will go towards buying equipment to make my practice more sustainable—something that is hugely important to me

✨EXHIBITION✨

It’s that time of year again (!): the Annual Members Exhibition, opening tonight at 6pm and running to 9 December

I love the diversity of practices Canberra has to offer, and it’s always such a privilege to see my work sitting alongside that of so many amazing makers in this annual exhibition

With this piece, ‘Untamed’, I wanted to step beyond using only silver in my work, and quite literally integrate fabric. This was an experiment for me, and I’m so pleased with the way it turned out

I consider silk to be a special fabric; it is a natural fibre, it is opulent and resplendent. I used green fabric because this colour gives me a sense of calm and fulfilment and also symbolises hope, rejuvenation, and peace with the natural world—something that is increasingly under threat. I have purposefully left the edges of the fabric frayed, thereby accentuating the many individual threads that constitute the beautiful, rich fabric made through an earlier repetitive process
 
‘Untamed’ is playful and childlike—joyful to make, to look at, and wear. It is made of sterling silver and silk fabric, and measures 450(l) x 205 (w) x 50 (h) mm

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The Mini Series Art Prize opened today and runs to 5 November, opening night Friday 27 October

I’m so thrilled that my work was chosen to sit alongside that of so many talented artists—it’s a real privilege to be one of the 40 finalists featured in this exhibition

These brooches are made of fine and sterling silver and measure roughly 5 x 5cm each

✨EXHIBITION✨

This is the last weekend to see ‘Studies in Soft Movement’, my collaborative exhibition with the lovely

This is the final collaboration piece that I worked on, ‘Brooch III’, which is made of porcelain and fine and sterling silver. It measures 3 x 6 x 2cm

Please indulge me for a few very important acknowledgments:

Thank you to for having us, and for including us in this year’s Craft Contemporary Festival

A huge thank you to for the support I received to travel to and stay in Melbourne for this exhibition. I am extremely grateful!

Thank you also to everyone who supported me in this journey (from your opinions on my pieces, to advice on grant writing to feeding the cat 😻)

Finally, thank you to the amazing Anabelle for choosing me as your partner in this project. It has been such a treat!

✨EXHIBITION✨

It’s the last week to check out my exhibition with , ‘Studies in Soft Movement’ as part of the Craft Contemporary Festival

This work, ‘Ribbon earrings’, measures 6.5 x 0.5 x 1.5cm (per piece) and is made of fine and sterling silver

✨EXHIBITION✨

You can see this piece, ‘Ribbon necklace’ in my exhibition with , ‘Studies in Soft Movement’ on until 22/10

This piece is made of fine and sterling silver and measures 2.5 x 43.5 x 1cm

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This week and next as part of Craft Contemporary, you can catch my exhibition with , ‘Studies in Soft Movement’

This piece, ‘Swirl Brooch’, is made of fine and sterling silver. It measures 6 x 6 x 3.5cm

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and I have done a few collaborative works for our ‘Studies in Soft Movement’ exhibition, like this ‘Brooch II’ made from porcelain and fine and sterling silver. This piece measures 4 x 6.5 x 3cm

It was a first for me to work with porcelain, and such complex shapes no less! I’m so pleased with how these pieces turned out—I think they’re a beautiful harmony of both Anabelle’s and my aesthetic

Tonight is the opening event for our exhibition , 6-8pm. Hope to see you there!

✨EXHIBITION✨

My exhibition with , ‘Studies in Soft Movement’, is opening TODAY as part of the Contemporary Festival

This work, ‘Swirl earrings’, measures 9 x 4 x 4.5cm (per piece) and is made of fine and sterling silver

✨EXHIBITION✨

My exhibition with , ‘Studies in Soft Movement’, opens TOMORROW as part of the Contemporary Festival

This piece is called ‘Little ruffles necklace’, and is made of fine and sterling silver. It measures 40 x 4 x 1cm

✨EXHIBITION✨

My exhibition with , ‘Studies in Soft Movement’, is opening next Thursday as part of the Contemporary Festival. If you’re in town come and check it out!

This work, ‘Ruffled teardrop earrings’, measures 9 x 6 x 1.5cm (per piece) and is made of fine and sterling silver

✨EXHIBITION✨

Opening in two weeks’ time, ‘Studies in Soft Movement’ is an exhibition by me and as part of the Contemporary Festival

Although Anabelle and I work in different mediums—porcelain and silver—this exhibition displays a common experience and relationship to our materials: the exploration of softness and femininity with reference to fabric

Exhibiting in Melbourne at the beautiful has been a little dream of mine ever since I first walked through that space, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity ❤️

This piece, ‘Brooch I’, is a little collab between Anabelle and me and is made of porcelain and fine and sterling silver. It measures 3.5 x 6 x 2cm

I’m so excited to share that I’ve been chosen as one of 40 finalists from across Australia for the Mini Series Art Prize with my ‘crushed’ series of brooches ✨

The exhibition runs from 25/10 to 5/11, opening night 27/10. If you’re in the region, be sure to check out this beautiful gallery!

✨EXHIBITION✨

I’ve done a little series—this necklace, some earrings and a bracelet—on the theme ‘trash or treasure?’ that will be hanging in the Foyer Gallery from the opening tonight through to November

The idea for this series was born from my desire to repurpose offcut (scrap) metal from my production line work to craft standalone objects of desire. The fine silver elements of these pieces have been made from oddly-shaped yet beautiful slivers of scrap metal

✨EXHIBITION✨

I’m so thrilled that my work will be featured in the PIN 9 exhibition, which runs from 9 to 19 August

These are my entries: ‘Crushed I’, ‘Crushed II’ and ‘Crushed III’ (original, right?) made from fine and sterling silver

Save the date for opening night on 9 August, from 6-8pm

🎈B’DAY GIVEAWAY🎈

To celebrate my business being TWO (!) on 21 May and back by popular demand, I’m doing a birthday giveaway of my popular Fine Silver Hoops V 😻

Rules of engagement as follows:
1. Follow on Insta
2. Tag a friend in this post
3. Make sure your friend follows me too
4. Enter before midnight, 21 May

Winner selected at random on 22 May, and will be contacted via Instagram

Winner’s choice of matte or polished finish—which would you choose?

✨EXHIBITION✨

‘Dialogue’ is only open for two more weekends (12-5pm, to 7/5)

‘Dialogue’ is a group exhibition with my former classmates .a.t.h.y.z.h.a.n.g, and

This is my piece for ‘Project B’. For the second part of the exhibition, each person made one work, which was then passed on to the next person, ultimately passing through all of our hands with some of us adding and/ or subtracting elements along the way. Art, or a confusing mess?

My piece is handmade sterling silver chain, each link of which I hammered flat (which took about 15hrs…!)

Swipe to the next slide to see the final results!

📸:

✨EXHIBITION✨

See my brooch at the ‘Dialogue’ exhibition, open 12-5pm this weekend and every Wednesday to Sunday until 7/5

‘Dialogue’ is a group exhibition with my former classmates .a.t.h.y.z.h.a.n.g, and

This piece is called ‘Silver Curtain’, and was made in response to a ring by Saskia, who was responding to a necklace by Cathy, who was responding to a brooch by Jonathon. It is made of sterling silver, and measures 4.5 x 5 x 0.5 cm

📸:

✨EXHIBITION✨

See my armwear at the ‘Dialogue’ exhibition, open 12-5pm this weekend and every Wednesday to Sunday until 7/5

‘Dialogue’ is a group exhibition with my former classmates .a.t.h.y.z.h.a.n.g, and

This piece is called ‘Night and Day in the Mountains’, and was made in response to a brooch by Jonathon, who was responding to a necklace by Saskia. It is made of polished and oxidised sterling silver, and measures 7 x 7 x 1.5 cm

📸:

Thank you so much to everyone who came to the opening, was such a success and I feel so supported and celebrated! Thanks too to the amazing M16 Artspace crew who are next level excellent ✨

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‘Dialogue’ opens at 6pm TONIGHT and runs to 7/5

‘Dialogue’ is a group exhibition with my former classmates .a.t.h.y.z.h.a.n.g, and

This piece is called ‘Daisy Chain’, and was made in response to two pairs of earrings by Cathy. It is made of fine and sterling silver and measures roughly 15.5 x 15.5 x 1 cm

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✨EXHIBITION✨

One week to go! ‘Dialogue’ opens at 6pm, next Thursday 13/4 and runs to 7/5

‘Dialogue’ is a group exhibition with my former classmates .a.t.h.y.z.h.a.n.g, and

This piece, ‘Armour’, is one of mine (can you tell?!) and is made of fine and sterling silver. It measures roughly 20 x 40 x 1.5 cm

📸:

✨EXHIBITION✨

The countdown is on! ‘Dialogue’ opens 6pm on 13/4 and runs to 7/5

What began as just another casual jewellery chat after attending an opening back in February 2022 has turned into a 20-piece exhibition with my talented friends and former classmates .a.t.h.y.z.h.a.n.g, and

Making can often be a lonely and siloed experience, and this exhibition was borne from the need we all had for some creative connection. In making work for this exhibition, we have deliberately sought to influence and inspire each other, and in so doing extend our individual practices

It’s always a joy to get together with friends and (indulgently!) talk about jewellery, and it’s even more fun bringing our ideas to life in an exhibition. This is a first for me, and it’s an immense privilege to share this opportunity and experience with Cathy, Jonathon and Saskia 💕

I hope you can swing by to check it out!

📸: .a.t.h.y.z.h.a.n.g

Another custom make for another lovely friend 💕

A custom brooch for a friend 💕

Hello lovely followers!

I’m going on holiday to 5/1/23, so the last day for online orders this year is Monday 19/12/22

Any orders placed after this date will be posted on 5/1/23

Have a wonderful festive season, and thank you for your support 💕❤️