Meet Brenton Angel.


 

 

 

 

 

Bespoke jewellery handmade in Melbourne and exclusive to Dilettante; take some time to get to know the creative mind behind Brenton Angel Design.

 

 

 

 

Each of the barrettes is a unique shape, can you tell us about this process of construction?

I wanted each piece to be an individual work, so the wearer can have something beautiful to wear in her hair, rather than the mass-produced hair clips around today.

 

Most of the barrettes are crafted from Aluminium, why do you choose to work with this material as opposed to another material such as brass?

Aluminium was considered more rare and precious than gold or silver through most of the 19th century. It has a warmth and lightness and can be anodised any colour.

 

 

 

How long have you been working with fibreglass and neon installations, and what drew you to work with these mediums?

After years of working on small scale objects I enjoyed the challenge of working on a different scale. I wanted to create free-standing objects not limited by the body and how we wear it. I started using fibreglass after seeing Isamu Noguchi’s organic forms.

I helped a friend work with neon on her RMIT thesis and became drawn by the fluidity and intense colour. I won a commission to make a neon arch that resembled pick-up-sticks which crossed Flinders Street Station for Melbourne’s 150th Birthday.

 

 

 

  

How would you describe the woman that you design for?

I have always designed for women who love fashion and design, who enjoy mixing precious pieces with more sculptural pieces, who treasure ‘design over diamonds’. 

 

Do you see your jewellery as a smaller scale of your sculpture work?

Each piece is, of course a sculptural entity in itself, but also becomes part of the personality and story of the wearer. Often with my bespoke jewellery the creative process becomes a collaboration, from the initial drawing to the selection of the materials, right through to the final outcome.

 

 

 


Can you talk us through the process of making the aluminium bangles?

As a child I loved the coloured aluminium tumblers that were kept in the glove box of the family car.

One of the first things I made in the 1970s were coloured anodised aluminium bangles. I made over 4,000 in my parents’ suburban back yard. I sold them at Sportsgirl, which was a very different store in the 1970s, much more cutting edge.

My wife started to wear her original bangles again and people loved them, so I decided to reimagine them for now, doing black, gold and beaten ones.

 

 

 

 

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