'I knew I had found my calling, I absolutely loved designing jewellery, but confidence grows when people are drawn to your work, when people are empowered by it, when they truly love it,' says Jacqueline Rabun, the American jewellery designer synonymous with sculptural, sophisticated jewels that have captivated collectors for over three decades.
After many years living in London, and a decades-long, ongoing collaboration with Danish heritage house Georg Jensen, Rabun is back living and working in her native Los Angeles. It is a move that has seen Rabun’s practice extend further, with a much-lauded retrospective at Carpenter’s Workshop Gallery, a growing roster of high-jewellery commissions and, now, the launch of Cave, an extended, reinterpretation of her renowned collection from 2002. 'When an idea comes, it feels like it is my duty to put it out into the world. It can be for a huge audience or it can sometimes just be [about] creating something and sitting with it for a while. But whenever the time feels right and the energy aligns, you must put it out there,' she says.
The original collection, released with Georg Jensen was a masterclass in effective design distillation. 'I was a very serious practicing yogi, and Cave was a natural outcome of everything that I was living at that time. And how meditation and yoga can be so healing and transformative for your life,' she recalls.
That collection consisted of a ring, a pendant and earrings in silver, with the inside of the ‘cave’, or hollow, a moody oxidized silver and the exterior polished; a later iteration came in gold with pavé diamonds. The pieces invited the wearer to ponder the necessity of drawing deep from one’s experiences to emerge into a better place, the material pointing to an evocatively brighter version of self.
Jacqueline Rabun’s new Cave jewellery collection
In this new iteration, Rabun inverts the conceit. 'I really wanted the inner world to shine, and so the inside is now polished and the outside has a more matte finish to it. Imagine if you did the work on yourself, meditated and focused on wellbeing and those around you, how your light would shine so much brighter, and the world would be better.'
Modern and resonant iterations of jewellery essentials that feel both novel and familiar are at the heart of the new collection. The ‘Charm’ ring is a contemporary take on a charm in art-jewellery form; the ‘Cave’ round-drop pendant discreetly references ancient priestly pectorals (ornamental breastplates); and the ‘Cave’ torque showcases the informed opulence that Rabun’s work is known for.
For Rabun, making and meaning have always been inextricably linked. 'I know there is an energy to these things, so I tend to work from my home studio.' Travel to Africa has also influenced her greatly. 'As an African-American, my ancestral homeland is West Africa and African shapes and forms have fed quite heavily into my practice.' Rabun’s travels have taken her to Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal, and in all three locations, the role jewellery plays culturally, and how the practice is informed by intergenerational experiences and knowledge, have inevitably fed into her design ethos.
She notes, 'African jewellery is more of a talisman, the reason for it existing goes deeper than just adornment. For me, jewellery that possesses a talismanic energy when you are wearing it, where you either feel protected or empowered when you’re wearing it, is really important.' Her own pieces possess a similar disposition, segueing into their wearer’s body and movement.
Rabun is aware of the dichotomy of being a feted legend while still continuing to create new bodies of work. 'It is lovely to be considered a jewellery artist, but I also love thinking of myself as a designer, creating jewellery that is artistic. It is really important that my pieces are accessible.'
Rabun’s work’s relatability can be attributed to the way she imbues it with so much of her personal biography. 'It really is about following my heart, my gut and shapes and forms in my subconscious mind.' So far, this design-led spiritual and artistic excavation has produced collections including Offspring, her paean in jewel form to motherhood; Black Love, her response to structural and social injustices; and now the reimagined Cave, a potent prompt to seek and present our highest selves to the world around us. Rabun continues to champion the notion of jewellery that is both collectible and transformative.