To understand Alice Made This’s new Carve Collection is to go on a trip around Europe – fitting, as it was the concepts of identity and locality that sparked the British jewellery brand’s new line of silver pendants in the first place.

The journey starts in Berlin in the 1920s, where Ralph Beyer, one of the most significant letter cutters of the 20th century, was born. He learned the technique in England during World War II, studying under sculptor Henry Moore before pioneering his own typography, called “Felt”, and applying it to an eight-panel stone commission in Coventry Cathedral. Beyer’s influence is still felt among many of those who practice this quiet art.

One such person is Philip Surey, who spent a period assisting Beyer and has produced works for Tate Britain and Westminster Abbey. Surey always drafts his lettering by hand before carving and, like Beyer, created his own type: Phil Sans. He has his own letter-cutting studio in London, where he has recently collaborated with Alice Made This founder Alice Walsh on a collection of pendants cast from carved stone letters.

‘Stone carvings are all around us,’ Walsh says. ‘Beautifully carved lettering is a feature on heritage buildings, sculptures, headstones, cathedrals and churches everywhere. Yet, letter carving is a somewhat anonymous art… It was this anonymity, paired with the reality that every part of a hand-carved inscription is the result of a direct human process, that ignited the Carve Collection. Shining a light on unsung heroes of craftsmanship, studying a new process, and further exploring the geological wonder of stone has made this collection a true joy to develop.’

The process of making these new pieces begins with sourcing slate in Wales and oolite limestone in Somerset. Then, Surey draws up an alphabet in traditional Roman typography, which is a tribute to 20th-century letter-cutters including Beyer, and carves it into the stones. The type’s formality lends itself perfectly to the slate’s finely grained, flat sheet formation, while the limestone’s porousness and organic texture offers a pleasing contrast. It is an excellent example of Alice Made This’s affinity for harmonious textures created through various forms of craftsmanship.

Back to south London, then, where Surey’s carved stones form the tool for Walsh to mould her jewellery by hand. She rolls or drips wax onto the stone to fill the letters, and once they are air cooled, releases each one ready to be cast in 925 silver at the brand’s casting house, which holds a Royal Warrant. This process means that no two pendants are exactly the same. After each letter is de-sprued, it is off to Birmingham’s historic jewellery quarter to be hand-finished.

Traversing the British Isles to seek out specialist makers and materials is nothing new for Walsh – telling these craftspeople’s stories through “precision jewellery” is what the brand does best. And when you get to understand the Carve Collection’s process from start to finish, it is impressive to see the lengths that Walsh is willing to go to create something truly special, and to further traditional crafts without the stuffiness that can so often come along with it.

alicemadethis.com