Seth Carlson’s Ibex Brooch
His Majesty
Designer Seth Carlson explains the creation of his wildlife-inspired brooch
By Tina Snyder
If there’s one positive thing to come from the pandemic, it’s the extra time it has given jewelry designers to experiment. That was the case with Seth Carlson. The Philadelphia-based designer spent many lockdown hours exploring the possibilities of adding carbon fiber and zirconia ceramic to his precious metal work. A series of realistic, wildlife-inspired brooches resulted, one of which is the beautifully detailed silver, 18k gold, and carbon fiber ibex featured here.
“I was interested in using these materials in place of horns, claws, bones, and teeth in these wearable sculptures,” says Carlson. “For the ibex, forged carbon fiber stands in for the characteristically impressive horns that arch over the backs of their heads.”
Carlson was attracted to the alternative materials because they are resilient and heat resistant. Their hardness—akin to sapphire—makes them challenging to form.
Seth Carlson
Seth Michael Studio • Philadelphia
“I had to get back into doing lapidary work,” says Carlson. “For the ibex, I used small diamond burs to cut the horns, then finished and polished them with a succession of fine grit sandpaper and silicone wheels.”
To create the precious metal body, Carlson used hand fabrication techniques, assembling several individual pieces of metal to form the animal. “I had the opportunity to study these mountain goats in person at a reserve near my home,” he says. “I wanted to capture their confidence, majesty, and grace by posing the ibex as if he is standing on a rock, looking down, with a bit of attitude.”
Carlson began by cutting small feather-shaped strips in varying sizes from silver and gold sheet, scoring them down the middle. He constructed the silver torso first, starting in the middle and soldering the strips of metal together to form the desired shape.
“It’s like fitting a puzzle together,” he explains. “I do it all by soldering. I try to follow the patterns of musculature when placing each piece. It’s not very formulaic, I just go with the flow.”
Carlson says fabricating this way gives the piece a more dynamic look, accentuating the animal’s musculature and adding an ethereal feel.
With the silver torso formed, he soldered on the legs, which are made of carved and filed silver square wire. He heated up the ends to bead them for the feet, and then shaped them with various tools. Then it was onto the 18k gold neck and chest, soldering the elements in the same fashion, working from the back to the front.
Fabricating the head was challenging. “I looked at the skeletal structure to get a rough idea of how the head should be postured based on the position of the body,” Carlson says. “I made a profile outline with the pieces so I could see the scale and proportion, then I started adding pieces of metal to fill it in.”
Once he had the basic shape of the head formed, he filed down the seams and began animating the face. “One of the challenges to pulling out the facial features is deciding where to remove material and where to fill it in with extra solder,” he says. “I may fill in one area with solder to hide the seam, then go back and use the pumice wheel to give it a contour. I also try to burnish the lines so they stand out more.”
In total, the ibex comprises approximately 22 pieces of gold and 40 pieces of silver, the latter oxidized with liver of sulfur. A 14k white gold pin on the back is contoured to the shape of the body to integrate it with the design.
The impressive carbon fiber horns are set atop the piece like gems in bezels, with a bit of epoxy for security.
Carlson’s ultimate goal for the piece is to inspire others to appreciate the beauty of wildlife without having to take its life in the process.