‘NEW NATURE’
Curated by Carol Woolton
14 November–22 December 2025
MAURIZIO FIORAVANTI
DINA KAMAL
MICHELLE ONG
CHRISTOPHER THOMPSON ROYDS
FABIO SALINI
MISH TWORKOWSKI
PHILIPPE VOURC’H
David Gill Gallery is proud to announce a new group exhibition of fine jewellery entitled ‘New Nature’, curated by author and historian Carol Woolton.
The exhibition explores the diversity of design, defining how nature is expressed now in the world of fine jewellery, through the work of seven jewellers, and marking an exciting moment. “Nature has provided the backdrop to our lives from the beginning,” explains Carol. “Historically, artists and designers have shown their recurring fascination with biophilic design in the decorative arts as the original way people chose to enhance, enrich, as well as describe their lives. As the world around us transforms so does our vision of nature. Designers interpret nature through a complex interplay of factors dictated by fashion, artistic movements, technological innovations as well as events and beliefs of the period.”
Francis Sultana, CEO of David Gill Gallery says, “The Gallery has a long association with showing jewellery and objets de désir - originally with 50 years of Fashion exhibition back in 1987; to a historical show of Line Vautrin, to fine jewellery of Luigi Scialanga, to more recent work by Michele Oka Doner and Emmanuel Tarpin. This new group show, curated by Carol Woolton, one of the UK's leading authors and fine jewellery experts, marks a wonderful new chapter in the gallery's long relationship with fine jewellery. The jewellers that Carol has brought together, from all over the world, really are some of the very best working in fine jewellery today and I am so excited with this new step for the gallery and its work with jewellers as artists.”
For enquiries regarding featured works, please contact sales@davidgillgallery.com
SELECTED WORKS
MICHELE ONG Brooch Diamonds, 18ct white gold H10.7 x L8.5 x D1.2 cm / H4.2 x L3.3 x D.5 in
DINA KAMAL Ring ‘Fishtail’ Diamond, 18ct black gold / 18ct yellow gold H2.3 x L1.6 x D2 cm / H.9 x L.6 x D.8 in
MICHELLE ONG Earrings Diamonds, 18ct white gold H12 x L11 x D7 cm / H4.7 x L4.3 x D2.8 in
CHRISTOPHER THOMPSON ROYDS Earrings ‘Catkin’ Diamond, 18ct yellow gold Earrings: L5.5 cm / L2.2 in Sculpture: 14 x 10 x 14 cm / 5.5 x 3.9 x 5.5 in
CHRISTOPHER THOMPSON ROYDS Earrings Sculpture ‘Poppy’ Diamonds, 18ct yellow gold Earrings: Diam. 3 cm / Diam. 1.2 in Brooch: L14cm / L5.51 in Sculpture: 22 x 10 x 10 cm / 8.6 x 3.9 x 3.9 in
MISH TWORKOWSKI Bracelet 'Bark' Diamond, 18ct yellow gold H5.2 x L6.1 cm / H2 x L2.4 in
MISH TWORKOWSKI Ring 'Twig' Diamond, 18ct white / rose / yellow gold D.3 x Diam. 2.2 cm / D.1 x Diam. 0.9 in
MISH TWORKOWSKI Chain Necklace ‘Twig’ 18ct Yellow gold L46 cm / L18.1 in
DINA KAMAL Earrings ‘Flexible Spine’ Diamonds, 18ct black gold H1.3 x L6 x D5 cm / H.5 x L2.4 x D2 in
DINA KAMAL Ring 'Louis' Diamonds, 18ct black gold H1.7 x L1 x D1.6 cm / H.7 x L.4 x D.6 in
Please contact the gallery for more works.
CAROL WOOLTON | CURATOR’S STATEMENT
Nature has provided the backdrop to our lives from the beginning. Historically artists and designers have shown their recurring fascination with biophilic design in the decorative arts as the original way people chose to enhance, enrich, as well as describe their lives. As the world around us transforms so does our vision of nature. Designers interpret nature through a complex interplay of factors dictated by fashion, artistic movements, technological innovations as well as events and beliefs of the period.
Apart from precious materials successful jewellery compositions include unique design, imagination, a sense of artistry combined with the current preoccupations with how we live. In a world experiencing eco-anxiety related to the environmental crisis what defines the ‘new nature’ is an intensely personal moment experienced by the artist and their own connection to nature. It might be the simplicity of a twig underfoot, rendering the textural pattern of bark in gold or the shape of grassy semi circles on the horizon. When newly hunted exotic looking orchids were propagated by industrial magnates in hothouses, they dominated the jewellery landscape mimicked in enamel and diamonds. Now orchids are mass produced and widely sold in most supermarkets and what appears more precious to us are humble hedgerow blooms, like the clovers and catkins rendered by Christopher Thompson Royds, that we know need protecting. In some cases, the vision of nature is more straightforward and figurative than others; the biomimicry of Michelle Ong’s breathtaking butterfly with gossamer diamond-lace wings exemplify her excellence of execution as do Maurizio Fioravanti’s painstaking fabrication of micro mosaic tesserae ‘tiles’ by hand without magnification to create intricate and fanciful images of colourful butterflies.
Pattern, texture and material make common ground. But these jewels are driven by individual emotional responses to nature or fleeting moments quietly observed. So, the wayward splendour of Philippe Vourc’h’s earrings, the new voice in high jewels we are launching here, are a dream inspired by his secret garden - which remains, secret. Whilst the work by renowned Palm Beach jewellery designer Mish, an obsessive gardener, often reflects his favourite colourful blooms in nature-inspired featuring unusual materials, he’s vocal here about the furrowed nature of bark engraved on smooth and irregular surfaces of gold and diamond collars and cuffs. Lebanese architect turned jewellery designer Dina Kamal focuses on the natural volume and shape of specific phenomena in her matt golden fish-tail rings whilst Fabio Salini brings a Sicilian atmosphere into his jewels through colour, material and a connection with nature. These modern jewels are collectible with each one illustrative of the maker’s intimate relationship with small natural wonders in their own environments from Hong Kong to Rome, Lebanon, Florida and the British countryside. Supremely crafted they are symbolic of joy - embodying a sense of permanence to shine long into the future.