Before you said that you create jewels recycling some items. You often find them or buy them?
PP: I do not even try, they find me. Although, I often feel like doing just that, go to a flea market, to find the unexpected. I have many friends and people around me who have beautiful things, I highlight it and then they tell me to take them. Other pieces are inspired by something someone said to me, spring from this dialogue, all that inspires me and becomes a jewel. About the recycled materials, a cover, a handle of an object, or a fragment of a first work piece, it is not a material that has to be incorporated in the jewel, but the appearance or shape, will inspire me, will almost be a kick-off for other things. To incorporate pieces of other people also happens to me; they have bits of ivory, for example, and ask me to turn them into a decorative object to take home, adding my aesthetic vocabulary and forms.There are many materials that I have with me and that I use in my work.
The image of the jewelry in Portugal is mainly the filigree. It's a tough market for a contemporary artist, to impose in this market?
PP: There are two different aspects. I believe that the contemporary jewelry market is growing. Portuguese society has evolved in a positive sense, people travel more, and they are more open and have the notion that anything is possible. Before such pieces were not very accessible, there are now lots of people that created contemporary jewelry, with characteristics of author. It's a niche of the market. On the other hand, it is a pity that the jewelry industry does not have noticed more years ago it was necessary to have a different attitude in terms of design. It is useful not to copy and repeat everything that comes from abroad, from Spain, or Italy, that is, everything you see in the international fairs. But, is necessary to bet in the designers in this country are trying to created different things over these 30 years. Cucas is one of our great jeweler, is a lady eighty years old that had a major exhibition at Mude, the museum of fashion and design and the industry doesn't acknowledge that in a mean way. All because of small wars that foster among themselves afraid of the copies, this contributes to a close and some short-sighted mind. The contemporary jewelry is only seen in galleries, studios or someone who has their own pieces in small collections or single ones for a very specific audience. Maybe we even have more because people are looking for something unique, which in a personal way shows they know what they want and so we are building our own market. It is difficult to cope with the difficulties, the materials and tools are expensive, the person often has to learn to scale their ability to incorporate their artistic and creative features with the more commercial needs, but I think if you can do it and the public wants our pieces of jewelry.
Tell me a bit of people looking for this jewels, who are they?
PP: I and Pedro Cruz founded this studio, the immaterial Lisbon. We are now four colleagues, all jewelers, with their own windows, where we do joint activities or exhibitions. It is curious that we all have our clientele, who are not from here and has its very own characteristics. They are neither too old nor too young, because different pieces here. My customers in particular are more connected to the areas of design, architecture and culture, or are people who give importance to details, in the sense of wanting something that is not massive, prize the drawing, the creative side, the good performance and are also a person who can deliver a piece to recycle or change makes it into something they can use and that happens to me too. Most of them are men, with a certain purchasing power and who appreciate culture.
