Meet the Maker: Vanessa Ree Launches DesignYard’s New ‘Featured Maker’ Series
This May, we’re thrilled to welcome Kildare-based contemporary jewellery designer Vanessa Ree as the inaugural Featured Maker at DesignYard.
Known for our discerning eye and loyal community of collectors and makers, we’re expanding our mission to bring you even closer to the creative process. The Featured Maker initiative is our way of bridging the gap between designer and collector, offering artists the opportunity to present new work, and giving you the chance to meet the people behind the jewellery during our Meet the Maker events.
Our first Meet the Maker event was well-received with an overwhelmingly positive response. Vanessa Ree held an engaging talk about her work and the origins of her striking 3D# collection, giving guests an intimate look into her design journey.
Exploring Language Through Jewellery Design
Vanessa’s fascination with language was the starting point for her 3d# series. With a background in multiple languages, she reflects on how symbols like hashtags, ampersands and punctuation marks, shape how language flows. The humble hashtag, once a mystery button on the phone, now a globally used symbol in digital culture, became the unlikely hero of her collection.
As a chid the hashtag used to be a random button on the phone,” Vanessa Shared, “or a grid for playing noughts and crosses when the teacher wasn't looking. Now we speak it aloud. It’s part of our digital and spoken vernacular. That transformation really intrigued me.
This idea became a sculptural form: and exploded 3D# crafted into wearable art.
From Wax to Wearable: the 3D# Making Process
The jewellery design process is a fusion of concept and craft. Vanessa began with hand-carved wax prototypes, using traditional lost-wax casting technique. But after four versions failed to materialise the piece she had envisioned, she turned to Computer Aided Design (CAD) to model the shapes digitally. This shift not only improved precision she sought for the pieces, it also led to a creative discovery.
Working with CAD revealed a new form: the negative space within the hashtag, which became a standalone design element. Both the positive and negative shapes are now central to the 3D# collection, cast in silver, 9k or 18k gold.
Each hashtag is 3D-printed in wax, individually cast, and finished by hand in order to retain the sculptural integrity and precision, as well as making the pieces more affordable.
From Form to Function: Making it Jewellery
Once the forms were perfected, the next challenge was engineering them into functional jewellery. Vanessa experimented with different ways to connect the shapes, determining how to make earrings, rings and cufflinks that are both bold and wearable.
More recently she’s exploring repetition to create dynamic statement necklaces that curve naturally around the collar bone. Vanessa commented that the collection continues to evolve, there’s much more to explore.
An Evening of Connection and Craft
The Meet the Maker evening drew both customers and fellow designers, including Sam Lafford, Nicole van der Wolf and jeweller Ronan Campbell. It was a warm, insightful evening that reminded us why personal connections and shared stories matter in the world of art and design.
Visit the gallery and join the conversation
Vanessa’s 3D# collection is on view now at DesignYard, and we invite you to see the pieces in person. The intricate shapes, scale and presence are best experienced first hand.
Be sure to join our mailing list for updates on upcoming Featured Maker exhibitions and Meet the Maker events. We’re excited to continue to highlight the incredible talent shaping contemporary jewellery in Ireland and beyond.
