“I intend to make your favourite piece of jewelry.” – Roannta Dalrymple
When/how did you start making jewelry?
I started in 2010 but it became a business in 2012. I was unemployed after I did my Masters, I was out of a job for about a year. I had dreads at that time and I wanted hair jewelry and when I priced them online they were something ridiculous like 80US. I said “I can do this”. I got myself a spool of wire, a hammer, and some beads. So I did the hair jewelry and maybe a pair of earrings for myself. Then I got a job, and then lost that job, and was at home doing absolutely nothing. I think I started to get a little depressed.
So just to find something to do I was making jewelry. I made a few rings for people because they asked but I was very much focused on a career and getting “a good job”.
And then UWI (University of the West Indies) had their Orientation Village so I had my jewelry on sale there. At this time I had a tonne of stock that I was doing absolutely nothing with and one of the girls who shared the tent with me at the Orientation Village messaged me a few days after. She said she wanted to do another market. I thought “Why not?” I ended up at the market and it was like the worst market ever, but I would credit that chance meeting and ending up at that market for where the business is now. Those events gave me the zeal to start thinking about it as a business.
What does Tautology mean?
Tautology is one of my favourite words. It`s actually a math concept. But it defines circular logic. It`s putting something new into an equation and the equation remains the same even with the new elements added. An example of a tautological statement is that the woman is a widow. All widows are women so that`s circular logic. I like it because a lot of my jewelry is very geometry based.
“How do I boil this very complex piece of geometry down to the barest essentials of jewelry.”
What inspires you?
I do a lot of research into what is trending in the fashion world, especially in terms of colour. But a lot of things that inspire me would just be the things in my environment. I then go to what`s happening art wise. That`s where most of my jewelry inspiration really comes from. I look at a lot of geometric art, I look at alot of water colour art. I think one of my stronger talents as a jeweller is my work with colour. So I`m very good at matching and combining colours that won`t normally “go together”. The first thing I do every year when I`m starting a collection is look at the pantone colour of the year. Inspiration also comes from a lot of the abstract work I see. A lot of tattoo work is very abstract now so I look at that a lot too. And then there`s just the barrier of “What can I do with that”? Then I have to kind of work within the constraints of that in terms of how do I get streamlined lines from this or how do I boil this very complex piece of geometry down to the barest essentials of jewelry.
What is the hardest part of what you do?
The hardest part of this right now is that my ideas aren`t limited by my skillset, but what I am able to accomplish is limited by my skillset. So I think of what I want to make but I can`t always make it because I don`t have the skill for it yet.
Do you have a favourite piece of jewelry you`ve done?
I do. There is a collar I did last year, that is square, like a bib. My favourite piece of all time.
What are you trying to achieve with your designs?
I am going for a classically minimalist aesthetic. I really want something that while still being outstanding and being very very different, is appealing to everyone because it`s very easy to wear. So I want people to have pieces that are unique but that are at the same time so streamlined and so seamless that they can be worn with almost anything. I intend to make your favourite piece of jewelry.
“I intend to make your favourite piece of jewelry.”
Check out more of the designer`s work here: Tautology Design Studio
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