UTE DECKER | SCULPTURAL JEWELLERY

Bio-Resin and Recycled Silver Lacquered Vegetarian Ring

There is nothing like an ice cold beer, right?  Well hold on to your hats as we stop in Munich, Germany to visit beer brewery Hofbrauhuas Hall. 

Not only does the facility produce the “second most distributed beer at Oktoberfest,” it also houses a ballroom, beer garden and restaurant.  Germany is also the birthplace to Ute Decker.

For each jewelry designer featured on this blog jewelry making is a true labor of love. 

For many who create stunning designs in 18-karat gold or sterling silver, such as Choo Yilin (Singapore), Alberto Parada (South America) and Clarity Collins (USA) implementing ethically sourced precious metals and gemstones is paramount.

A former linguist and journalist, Decker has valiantly built her pared down yet striking sterling silver and gold necklaces, rings and cuff bracelets on seeking out eco-friendly materials. 

In addition to incorporating recycled sterling silver and bio-resins, Decker is one of the first jewelers to use Fairtrade gold—gold mined by small-scale mining companies in Bolivia—that is certified by the United Kingdom’s Fairtrade Foundation.

In following this course of action Decker faces head-on what she considers “the question of social beauty.  I have always been a very environmentally minded person.  I care about every aspect of my craft including the materials I use. 

I actively engage in campaigning for ethical 'good practice' from the mine to the jewelry box,” she explains.  “I strive to apply the most sustainable studio practices.

Recycled Silver Neck Sculpture

I use my background in journalism to write articles on ethical jewelry, and I speak regularly about it at workshops and seminars,” says the London-based jeweler. 

Having worked with sculpture, Decker’s aesthetic does not use geometry as a basis to expand on or build upon to produce an intensely complex design; the limpidness of geometry is the design.  The lineation and curvatures form elegantly lithe silver necklaces, gold bracelets, and rings.

The beauty of these items, for me, is in how they flow; the clarity and fluidness of a line or curve.  Though her aesthetic is minimalist for the most part her designs are not small in scale. 

In some cases, her Fairtrade gold and sterling silver rings are more like small sculptures wherein Decker takes a line or curve, stretches them out and back making a single, somewhat askew geometric form.  Coupled with the metals’ sand-textured, matte finishes her designer jewelry is sleek and ultra-modern with subtle undertones of grit.

“I am influenced by the Japanese philosophy of wabi sabi; the silence between notes in music.  There is a harmony between the created form and the empty space of a jewelry item. I also believe that serene beauty requires discipline as opposed to ostensible splendor or even perfection.

Textured Fairtrade Gold Arm Sculpture

By leaving small marks of the work process the handmade quality of crafting remains visible as a humble recognition of our human flaws and imperfection. 

I also strive to acknowledge this complex relationship between beauty and ethics; between outer and inner beauty.”

Many of Decker’s distinctive, sustainable jewelry designs are limited edition creations. Make sure to visit her website for additional information.