This unique, one-of-a-kind piece is designed to be worn as a necklace or brooch, or displayed as a small sculpture. The dragonfly, with its sculptural silver wings and bronze body, rests upon a torque formed from natural twigs, creating a piece that moves between wearable art and sculptural object.

The dragonfly features a hand-carved body, lost-wax cast in bronze, and wings sculpted using the Japanese wax-sculpting technique of Mitsuro Hikime, before being cast in sterling silver. The bronze twig torque is created directly from carefully selected twigs, assembled and connected with wax before being cast using the lost-wax casting process. Two discreet openings, secured with hidden rivets, allow the torque to be worn, while an interlocking detail drawn from the twig design creates a seamless closure at the back.

The dragonfly can be worn independently as a brooch or attached to the twig torque as a pendant. When not worn, the torque becomes a stand for the dragonfly, transforming the entire piece into a small decorative sculpture in its own right, reminiscent of the Japanese okimono — a decorative object intended for display.

The piece is inspired by my travels to Sado Island, Japan, where the sounds of crickets and cicadas filled the air and dragonflies darted around the island’s deserted, overgrown gold mines.

Its design pays subtle homage to René Lalique’s stylised interpretations of insects, while drawing on Japanese insect iconography and the tradition of decorative objects such as okimono. These Japanese artistic traditions helped inform and inspire the Art Nouveau movement, which continues to influence my work.