Studio Notes — Copper Studies

The copper ring began as a specification problem: how thick must a ring be to feel like something, without becoming something uncomfortable to wear? We tested seven cross-sections before arriving at 8mm × 4mm — wide enough to have presence on the hand, thin enough to sit against the finger without creating pressure points after hours of wear.

The forming process is straightforward: copper rod, annealed, bent cold over a mandrel, then filed. The filing is where time goes. The internal edge of the band, where it contacts the finger, requires several passes with progressively finer files to eliminate any surface that could cause irritation. The external edge is left with evidence of the final fine file — this is intentional. The ring is not polished smooth.

Oxidisation is achieved naturally. The formed ring is left in the workshop environment — exposed to air, handled occasionally — for two to four weeks. The patina that develops is specific to the workshop: the ambient humidity, the other materials present, the quality of the light. It is not reproducible in a controlled way. This is correct.

The wall vessel came from a different problem: copper sheet can be formed without welding if you understand how the material wants to move. The vessel form — asymmetric, with one compressed side — was arrived at through twenty failed attempts to achieve a specific curve without the sheet splitting at the shoulder. The solution was counter-intuitive: anneal twice, once after the rough form, once before the final compression. The material needed to be reminded that it could move.

Both pieces are now in the Copper Studies collection.