Jess MacDonald Brass
Koru / Spiral Necklace
'Koru' silver necklace made on the Isle of Arran by Jess MacDonald Brass
This piece is for friendships. No matter where you're from in the world, nature always has and always will connect us.
The Koru is a spiral form rooted in Māori art, its shape drawn from the unfurling frond of a New Zealand fern. In Māori culture, it carries the meaning of new beginnings, growth, harmony and strength. The circular form speaks to the continuity of life; the inward coil, a return to where everything started.
The Celtic spiral reaches the same conclusion from the other side of the world. Found carved into ancient Scottish and Irish stonework thousands of years old, it represents nature's energy made visible, expanding outward from a centre. Creation, life, rebirth. Two cultures, separated by oceans, drawn independently to the same form.
This piece was made to honour a friendship between two women from those two cultures, who both love the sea. Because there is one more thing the Koru shares with the Celtic spiral: looked at a certain way, it is a wave, just at the moment it curls over. The sea connects everything.
And nature keeps offering the same shape back. The unfurling fern. The chambered Nautilus. Patterns that move forward while staying connected to their origin.
This pendant is designed and made on the Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Material: silver
Dimensions: 24mm
Chain: 18 inch
My jewellery is individually hand-crafted or made in small batch production which is hand-finished - this is reflected in the final finish of each piece. This means that it will not be the same as machine made or mass-produced jewellery. Instead, it gives each of my designs a special artisanal touch.