ALEXANDRA EMMELINE

Cluster Contemporary Jewellery Exhibitor | 2024

 

BAHITI BROOCH | 2024

COLONY NECKLACE | 2022

 

Alexandra Emmeline is a 2022 graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, specialising in Jewellery & Silversmithing, hailing from Somerset. She combines her background in jewellery-making with her self-taught embroidery skills to create wearable textile jewellery.

 
 

TIYE BROOCH | 2023

Alexandra occupies herself with a multitude of creative hobbies, laying the foundation for her whimsical and playful style. Her university studies provided her with the technical ability to transform her ideas into delightful, wearable art. Her graduate collection, 'Infest,' has been featured in New Designers 2022 in London, Galerie Marzee’s International Graduate Show in the Netherlands, the John Byrne Award Exhibition (shortlisted), Edinburgh, and the Rising Stars exhibition at the Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh.

 

CONSUME BROOCH | 2023

Currently, Alexandra finds herself between Glasgow and West Somerset, drawing inspiration from the abundance of resources in city museums and the quiet stillness of the countryside. While her work remains consistent in its vibrant colors and exuberant style, her interests in subject matter and media continue to evolve, promising more exciting work and a growing collection in the future!

 

Alexandra Emmeline has cultivated a vibrant and eccentric art style, most prominently showcased in her intricately embroidered beetle brooches. Drawing inspiration from real beetles found in museum entomology displays, she incorporates their shapes and color schemes into fanciful jewelry pieces, often exaggerating their designs for added whimsy.

Her debut collection, ‘Infest,’ placed a spotlight on these beetles, envisioning them as characters and delving into the intersection of beauty and grotesque themes. However, in her subsequent collection, ‘In the Walls,’ the beetles transitioned into companions to an array of diverse pieces, seamlessly integrating into the collection as a whole. Alexandra’s latest creations draw inspiration from various shapes and patterns observed in Eastern architecture, particularly decorative tiles. As her insect-inspired pieces become increasingly adorned, they blur the lines with her tile pieces, suggesting a fusion with the walls.

Embroidery serves as a deliberate and gradual process, contrasting with the busy, embellished finished pieces in Alexandra’s work. Unlike the erratic, transient nature of the beetles that inspire her, Alexandra meticulously considers small details and color palettes in her jewelry, which ultimately harmonize with her signature use of vibrant red leather.