I was researching jewellers who use mined materials in their rough, untouched state and I happened upon Klaus Burgel.

I love the idea that his jewellery concentrates on the natural beauty of the material itself, as apposed to how it can be used to create beautiful jewellery.

The following has been taken from his biography at www.klausburgel.com/bio and describes his work in more detail.

“Klaus Bürgel’s jewellery is inspired by nature and the sensual properties of the artist’s materials: silver, gold, palladium, pearls, and various precious and semi-precious stones. The pieces are often daringly simple and shy away from announcing the monetary value of their materials.

In many cases, Bürgel’s silver pieces are unpolished and present a rather impoverished appearance. At other times the silver is brilliant, almost white, yet the forms remain so utterly unpretentious (casts of fossilized leaves, sticks, and pods) that the precious metal seems to have been reunited with its origin as a beautiful yet ordinary element in the natural universe.”