Carol Mather was born in Oban in Scotland. She studied at the Jacob Kramer College of Art in Leeds and at Crewe and Alsager College. The works in the Collection use brass, photo-etching the images on to large sheets of metal then cutting them out for finishing and decorating with enamel paints. Many of the pieces have moving parts, riveted to the main body. The wings of the beetle can be spread open, and the mermaid raises her arm to offer a pearl to her sea horse. Much of her jewellery is based on the animal world, fish and insects. She employs a wide range of colour variations on basic shapes for her production range. Each creature is slightly different and her more ambitious pieces are constructed individually. The Mermaid with Seahorse and Fish brooches were commissioned for the British Council exhibition All that glisters.

All that glisters: New Jewellery in Britain, The British Council 1992

Glossary

  • Metal

    Metal is a medium frequently used by artists to make art works - from sculpture to printmaking. Surfaces can display an array of colours and textures, and are capable of being polished to a high gloss; metal can be melted, cast, or fused, hammered into thin sheets, or drawn into wire.