The fence that imprisoned Nelson Mandela and hundreds of others on Robben Island was deemed irreparable and set to be scrapped. But then it was rescued and has since been turned into jewellery to be showcased in Hollywood.
“These are statement pieces. Each piece is a wearable artefact,” says Charmaine Taylor, creator of the Legacy Collection.
Taylor will take her work to Los Angeles in July, where it will be exhibited for a month. Singer Paula Abdul is one of the stars who is wearing the jewellery.
The first collection was launched in November.
The second range, marking 20 years of freedom, is called Freedom XX. Taylor decided to use the Roman numerals because “x” is also associated with voting.
The collection consists of 20 designs and Taylor will make only 20 units of each design. Her work will also include 20 pieces of framed art, all made from the fence that nearly ended up on a scrapheap.
It was artist Chris Swift, who uses discarded material for his work, who found out in 2009 the old Robben Island fence was headed for a landfill. After a number of meetings and processes, he took ownership of the fence and spent three months processing the materials.
Taylor, 36, a graphic designer and business owner, first met the Robben Island Art Company & Trust in 2012. The following year, she was granted the right to design artwork and the exclusive right to create jewellery from the fence.
Armed with pliers, she hand cut sections of the fence to produce each of her pieces. The pieces are then bent and, while maintaining their original texture, go through six or seven layers of sealing before being covered in gold or silver.
The process takes about nine weeks.
At the interview Taylor is wearing a silver-plated pendant, named Free Will, around her neck. It is the first piece she made, and is not for sale.
Each of the designs has been named, but Taylor has steered away from naming the pieces after individuals. Instead, she’s opted for the country’s shared experiences.
“Each piece is named after something we went through as a society.”
The names include Amnesty, Liberty, and Release.
Taylor estimates that there is enough of the fence left to create jewellery and artwork for two more years.
While they cost between R2 500 to R8 600 now, Taylor expects the price to go up as she begins running out of material.
She aims to create pieces that can be passed on from generation to generation, but also wants those who can’t afford the steep price tag to benefit: 10 percent of the profits go to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and Harvest of Hope. Harvest of Hope assists individuals, groups and community organisations to initiate and maintain organic food growing and nature conservation projects as the basis for sustainable lifestyles.
Legacy Collection is also looking to grow the industry by investing in the development of jewellery manufacturing.
The development as well as the design and business side of Legacy Collection have been a dream for Taylor.
It took her nearly a year of training, research – and a few calluses – to get to this point.
“This is a very intricate process. The metal is hard to work with… it’s difficult to produce. So each one is precious.”
While the designs are similar, no two pieces are exactly alike. Each bar of metal has been rusted and weathered by the elements in different ways. Taylor finds beauty in these “scars”, and compares it to the South African story.
“When you’re covered with love, grace and forgiveness you transform a broken past into something beautiful. Legacy Collection symbolises that while scars remain, they also remind us of how peace and reconciliation were achieved in South Africa and can occur across our world.”
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HOW THEY ARE MADE
Every item in the Legacy Collection is cut by hand from a piece of the fence that was on Robben Island when Nelson Mandela was there (a new one has since been installed) and then welded together before being covered in silver and gold. The Gold Liberty bangle, below, as it looks before and after. Each piece has a unique number lasered on to it and is given a certificate of authenticity.