Presentation

My name is Olivier Soares Barbosa. I am a jewelry crafter, objects crafter and interior designer. For several generations, my family had a large number of woodworkers and crafters in various techniques of material processing : metal, fabric, leather, feather…

I'm lucky to be able to work at "Le Cent", a shared workshop located in Paris in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine.

Creation

The first step in my workflow consist in design and draw. Nevertheless, my belief is that we could'nt compete on this point with nature. It is the one who forms the amazing textural drawing of wood and minerals. It is the one alone who has the capacity to create the incessant renewal of graphics and colors.. Also, my work is based on minimalist geometric shapes that let the material express itself.

Observing the grain and growth rings allows me to define the cut direction in the raw wood piece. Drawing will be revealed from the saw orientation. For this purpose I use a very fine Japanese blade of a few tenths of a millimeter. It give me the ability to open up the material and cut out symmetrical shapes that respond to each other by unfolding the wood pattern as a kaleidoscope.

I cut these first pieces, works and assembles them in order to give them their final shape. I then make the stone inlays

Finishes

I apply the gold leaf gilding directly on the wood to let show its own texture. The technique is pretty close to the one that is used in crafting icons. The gold leaf is doubled, and sometimes tripled.

I carry out the finishes. Wood can be softened, polished or varnished. In soft matte finish, it is finely sanded. French polish is a long and delicate finishing technique.. The wood must be carefully prepared, then successive shellac coating extend for a few weeks before the final polishing.

At last, feathers placement when there are any, and final assembly put the last touch to the creating process of jewel.