The Campden Ring by Vicki Ambery-Smith

COURT BARN – News Release

The Chipping Campden Ring

Court Barn is delighted to announce it has acquired an outstanding ‘Chipping Campden’ ring by internationally renowned contemporary jeweller, Vicki Ambery-Smith.

The ring, commissioned by the museum, captures the architectural spirit of Chipping Campden’s historical and iconic buildings and was funded by the Friends of the museum.  Featuring the Market Hall, St James’ Church and the Banqueting House, the ring celebrates the town’s historic past, whilst giving a nod to its links to past and present design movements.

Vicki Ambery-Smith is known for her delicate small-scale jewellery and ornate boxes inspired by both real and imaginary buildings. All her jewellery is designed to be worn and therefore the three-dimensional structures have to be adapted rather than solely replicated in miniature. As a result it is the artist’s desire to go beyond representation to ‘a more personal interpretation of the character of a building’, becoming a study of shape, surface, light and space.

Ambery-Smith says ‘Chipping Campden has such a great history of design and a tremendous tradition of silverware. The aim of my design was to capture the character of the town by bringing together several recognisable landmark buildings, not necessarily by their actual relative sizes, or geographically correct but what looks right and balanced. I was delighted to make this ring for Court Barn.’

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One of Court Barn’s development aims is to support contemporary crafts people and designers, much in the spirit of Charles Robert Ashbee, alongside expanding the museum’s collection particularly with work by female artists.

The museum has used funding from the Culture Recovery Fund, Art Council England, to produce a film of the making of the ring. The film by Daisy Taylor, captures the skill required to produce a remarkable piece of jewellery.

IMAGES:

High resolution images are available upon request.