Inspired by the colours of summer, Totem 006 by Tom Pigeon is an exclusive neckpiece designed for Local Heroes. Tomato red resin sits beside bright brass and clean white marble Corian; crisp glass-effect acrylic and mint cotton cord – a playful combination of textures, materials, and shapes.
Designed, crafted and assembled in Scotland, Totem 006 is described by its designers as “a modern souvenir; a bold celebration of our skills, our environment, and of the craftspeople and makers that surround us.”
Totem is part of a collection of playful Post-Modern jewellery inspired by the wit and humour of the Memphis movement of the early 1980s including the technicolor furniture and objects of designers Ettore Sottsass and Nathalie du Pasquier.
Tom Pigeon founder and designer Kirsty Thomas describes her approach “inspired by the Memphis mix of colour, form, pattern and texture we wanted to create jewellery that not only plays with materials but also allows you to play with your jewellery. Totem allows the wearer to change the look and rhythm of the necklace as they are wearing it. Wearing a Totem shouldn’t be a serious fashion statement – it should be fun!”
The designers like to take materials out of their common environments and give them new meaning. Kirsty explains, “We use Formica laminate in our signature Form collection and for Totem we initially collaborated with Finnish solid surfacing brand Durat and later with Corian to create the focal blocks for each neckpiece. Each block is then mixed with materials like brass and copper, acrylic, cotton, wood and resin to create a tactile jewellery piece.”
Like all of their jewellery, each Totem is made in the Tom Pigeon studio by “an amazing team of jewellers — anything we can’t do here, we source locally. The acrylic is laser cut in a workshop in the hills above our studio, the Durat and Corian are cut and drilled by a good friend and talented cabinet maker on the other side of the River Tay, and everything else we do ourselves.”
These post-modern playthings combine a palette of mixed materials to create a striking necklace that can be worn assembled or deconstructed.
Totem 006 comes in white marble Corian, tomato red and mint. This piece features a polished brass tube, solid Corian block, bespoke discs of glass effect and white acrylic and a red resin ball. The necklace has an adjustable waxed cotton cord with solid brass detail.
Tom Pigeon is a creative studio that designs prints, jewellery and stationery and is run by husband and wife, Pete and Kirsty Thomas. Working with design stores and gallery spaces around the world, the designers create exclusive designs for places like the V&A, Tate Modern and the Barbican. “We’re inspired by shape, colour, pattern and form in nature and the built environment. Our work is simple, crafted and affordable, and made with care to be enjoyed.”