Biography
Catherine Martin (b. UK 1949) was the first ever Western student to graduate in Kumihimo – the ancient Japanese art of braiding - in Japan. She also studied at the Royal College of Art in London (1992-94). The designer-goldsmith later developed the Asian art into a painstaking weaving of fine gold wire by hand creating a sensual play of light and form.
As a professional musician and singer, Martin allows the fluidity of music to influence her pieces. Each design element flows with finesse from her instinctive response to sound and rhythm. Displaying a subtle sheen, somewhere between matt and shine, and an ancient, meditative quality, her jewels possess an intensity which contrasts with their softness and intricacy. Martin comments, “I like working with gold. I love the colour and sensuality but above all the timelessness…the thought of continuing a tradition of using this beautiful material which has been used for adornment for centuries. I hand braid fine gold wire which gives a particular and unique lustre that is soft and shimmers as it moves.” Martin was the subject of a solo Festival exhibition from the 2 August - 1 September 2018 and Gallery Scheytt, Munich, 2020. She also has collaborated with the German goldsmith Dorle Pätzold, who was one of her fellow students at the Royal College of Art.
