Marcella Edmund

The Conservatory is a collection containment that houses Crystal Intaglio brooches.  It is modeled after brick and glass conservatories that I remember being in, when I was a child.  I still recall the excitement of going into a tropical environment, warm and aromatic, in the cold and snowy winter.  In  my mind's eye I can still see the beautiful plants and exotic flowers, and in this box I wanted to recreate that feeling of discovery and delight.

How it works:  I designed the box like an actual garden, with velvet-covered sticks to hold the pins, that insert into a green velvet ground, and can be pulled out, played with and rearranged. An important part of collecting, for me, is the categorization and reorganization as new things are added.

The box itself is made of hand dyed raw silk pieced to form bricks, over foam core and board.  The roof is transparent silver organza to look like glass, and the doors are modeled after castle doors from the middle ages.  I like to do research into design elements such as this and reference real historical design rather than just make something up.

The Conservatory measures about 12" x 12" x 12"