Melee the Show returns to New York this summer, taking place Aug. 3 to 5 at Chelsea Piers—a riverfront location that’s appropriate for the participating designers who focus on materials found naturally in rivers, from the U.K. to the western U.S.
Three designers who work with river-based gold and stones and will be exhibiting at Melee the Show say their work demonstrates reverence for the land, sustainable sourcing, and fresh ways of thinking about how jewelry is made.
JCK spoke with these designers—Ellis Mhairi Cameron, Shaya Durbin, and Rebecca Overmann—about their jewelry philosophy and creation. Durbin is one of 15 new designers among the lineup of more than 85 coming to Melee the Show, now in its eighth year.
Mhairi Cameron works with a local panner of Scottish gold, which is excavated from rivers in the Highlands and then alloyed for strength and stability in her London studio, where she turns it from raw metal into jewelry.
“We specialize in alternative engagement rings, wedding bands, and custom commissions, including bespoke pieces made from Scottish gold,” Mhairi Cameron says. “Like metal detecting, the process is slow, patient, and nothing is guaranteed. You could go out for several hours and find nothing at all.
“Because Scottish gold is so scarce, every flake we collect is deeply valuable. It’s not just a material; it’s a piece of history.”
Mhairi Cameron‘s foundation as a jewelry designer is a belief in the beauty of imperfections and handcraftsmanship. The textured, ancient-feeling rings she creates reflect her heritage and connection to place.
“Growing up in the Highlands of Scotland, I fell in love with its history—the ancient buildings, the rugged seascape, and the ancient landscape,” she says. “On the farmland of my grandparents, we have excavated incredible pieces of history—segments of rings, vessels, knives, and swords. These objects act as wonderful inspiration for my collections.”
Durbin collects agate from rivers in Wyoming and Montana and cuts the stones herself before setting them into earthy, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.
“My jewelry philosophies have been informed by growing up in California, both aesthetically by the wealth of natural beauty and locally occurring gemstones and by the deeply rooted ethos of ethics and sustainability,” says Durbin, who’s worked in jewelry in the San Francisco area for 20 years.
Alluvial gems, washed down and exposed by sometimes millennia of rain and snowmelt, represent some of the most famous American-sourced stones, including sapphires, agates, garnet, and jade, Durbin says.
“Aside from the magic of occasionally finding these gem-grade stones naturally in the wild, they are also beautiful gems and a delight to work with in jewelry,” she explains. “Where a gem is from can influence the physical characteristics of a stone—its color, its inclusions. I love the way these stones link you to a place. It is very romantic.”
Also based in Northern California, Overmann works with gold found in rivers close to home, sourcing it directly from small-scale panners for her organic, hand-carved designs.
“We have put a lot of effort into building relationships with claim holders and reputable figures in the artisanal mining community,” she says. “It’s very much subject to availability, affected by how much snowmelt there is in a given year and the regulation of sustainable practices.”
For a small line of bands, Overmann mostly uses American River–mined gold that has been purified to 24k but not diluted with other metals.
“In this case, the form of the rings is very simple, as any detail or texture would be worn away very quickly. Instead, I’ve chosen to let the softness of the material echo its watery source and evolve over time,” the designer says. “Everyone wears jewelry differently, and the way a pure gold band changes over time is entirely a product of its wearer.”
Overmann started making jewelry when she was a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She chose a career in graphic design, but getting laid off drove her back to jewelry. Over a decade, her business evolved from sterling silver and enamel pieces to its current fine jewelry, produced by a “small but mighty” team of five who all have a hand in making the jewelry, she says.
“My philosophy towards jewelry is very simple: Let the materials be seen for what they are and speak for themselves,” says Overmann. “I prefer simple, functional, and beautifully executed design that highlights form and brings a sense of the natural world into the light.”
Top: Rebecca Overmann makes a small collection of bands from California river-mined gold. (All photos courtesy of the brands)
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