Thumbed, grubby finger marks, curled, yellowing pages. If you’re not fancying a spot of bookbinding, how do you treasure your favourite book forever? Make it into a piece of paper jewellery of course! Jorg&olif meets architect-turned- jewellery designer Jeremy May and his inspiring concept, littlefly.
Paper is known for its wear and tears yet Jeremy May believes it can be considered slowly. With contemporary and romantic simplicity, and in an altogether waste-free approach, written text is transformed into coloured images and forms of a “precious jewel” – be it a ring, necklace, bracelet or other treasure.
“I challenge existing perceptions about the statues of paper as a sensitive and ephemeral material. It is my passion to transform the paper that aspires to last beautifully and bring joy to all those sustainably minded individuals.”
May explains that no two pieces are alike. “Each new work is a fresh exploration of form inspired by a special kinship to sentiments of memory and remembrance/emotion/sensuality. I am not only inspired to make pieces that are sculptural for the body but also capable as standalone objects.”
May discovered the skill after much observation in his former work as a landscape architect. When his wife and he decided to exchange gifts made from paper on their first wedding anniversary (as is the tradition), he went that one step further and created a ring from a Greek newspaper! It’s since then that he’s moved onto books.
Jorg&olif asked May how he felt words can be treasure by turning your favourite book into a piece of jellewery?
“In the words of Petros Abatzoglou in his book What Does Mrs Freeman Want: ‘Words work at you in an underhanded way,’ he said. ‘They insinuate themselves into your body with cunning tentacles, circulate in your bloodstream and finally take control of you. You end up as a mere bag of words; words that act as your stand-in, that shape your character and finally die with you.’ I find myself driven by the words, the images that they create, emotions, sounds and smells.”
“Memories are most of the time a big part of one’s favourite book, the contents of which could become secondary to the location that the book was read in or the person that gave the book to you as a present. I am fascinated by how the book has been read. As I am using second-hand books I come across folded pages – that give away the rhythm that the book was read in, notes in the margin.”
“I have even found shopping lists, old letters and addresses, phone numbers written down in haste whilst the reader was exploring the word bread in German.”
“As an object the book has a plethora of information layers that start to built up from the narrative created by the author – the way it has been edited and put together the images the typeface and the way it was been used by all the different people that have had it under their possession at one time or the other.”
Paper jewellery can last a long time if properly loved and cared for and it’s even suitable for “singing in the rain…but not for scuba diving”. Starting prices begin at £200.
