The pieces that make up our Climate Collection were our first hand carved designs as well as the first pieces to include a donation of profits. As an homage to nature’s beauty and resilience, the Ice Cap, Nugget and Erosion rings were carved to represent natural landscapes, many of which are threatened by climate change and human interference.
Although Mariko comes from a family of visual artists (including sculptors, painters, ceramicists and illustrators), as an actor by trade, she didn’t think she had the visual artist gene. That was until she discovered her love of wax carving. Sculpting something out of a material hard enough to attain detail while also malleable (when heated and depending on wax type) drew her in immediately. Without any training and limited tools, she began following her instincts and carving for the mere fun of it. The Climate Collection rings were some of her earliest carvings, intentionally organic like the natural textures that inspired them.
The first Climate Collection piece to emerge complete was the Ice Cap Ring, inspired by the majesty of the Artic regions and the delicate state of polar ice sheets in a warming world. The face of the ice shelf rising off of the band is sharp and smooth, whereas the top is eroded, showing signs of a slow but steady thaw.
The Erosion Ring came next, a solid band eroded away on one edge to reveal the crumbling texture and layers beneath. The Erosion Ring serves as a reminder that change is inevitable and the best we can do is move forward with flexible curiosity for the new that will be revealed. The natural world has much to teach us if we are willing to respect its power and life cycles, as harsh and unforgiving as they may seem at times.
The last ring to round out the first group of three was the Nugget Ring, a reminder that every material we use to create our jewelry, before it was given monetary value or used for adornment, was buried deep within the earth. Before human intervention, these rocks and metals that we now attribute immense beauty to, were being forged, grown and constructed quietly and in secrecy for billions of years. We are fortunate to have access to recycled gold and ethically sourced stones. However, we must continue doing everything we can to avoid exploiting these natural resources and those who work to extract them.