Jewellery designer Mayumi Okuyama creates elegant and yet bold pieces that are influenced by different mediums, styles and textures. One of the main focuses on her designs is to capture the essence and simplicity of each material that is based on shapes derived from daily life, self-image, memories, and reminiscences.

Mayumi joined the Cluster Family in 2021 and even though she is fairly new to the jewellery scene, has already made a name for herself and has exhibited in Brazil, United Kingdom and Italy. 

We decided to catch up with her and ask her some questions about her life, art and her future projects. Here’s what she shared.

What first led you in the direction of making jewellery?

Manual arts have always attracted me. I like to have physical contact with all kinds of materials and, above all, I like to make things that don’t necessarily go through the rational route. In addition, we invariably bring jewellery next to our body, and by doing so the jewel is impregnated with very personal meanings, making it what I like to call a “home of identities and memories”.

Your work is so distinctive. As a fifth generation Japanese immigrant born and raised in Brazil, how has your heritage and the mixture of the different cultures affected your artistic vision?

This is so good to hear, thank you!
This mixture of cultures is indeed exciting. Challenging and rich at the same time. All countries have their melting pots of stories and contradictions, and I really like to see that, in my case, this mix thickens with two cultures that, being so different, become complementary. I strongly identify with both, and it makes me a curious person and someone willing to bring together what is different.
I once heard an author saying that, as time passed, he noticed that his work became more local and more focused on his origins. But he was surprised by realising that this change made his writing more and more international.
I think that being able to look at yourself, understand all your layers and dare to reveal them is an invitation. It is like a call of “Hey, we are the same. It hurts me as it hurts you”. (Not to mention, it works as a wonderful psychoanalysis exercise...)

Take us through the creation of one of your pieces. How much planning goes into the piece beforehand?

One day, with a group of colleagues, we asked ourselves what leads each one to create a piece or a collection. I said it is always the desire to tell a story. A book, an event, a song, a person, a place. All these things, or the memory of them, awakens feelings I want to share. I start by writing random words in notebooks or pieces of paper; then I try out some shapes, by drawing or with paper cutouts. I talk a lot with colleagues and teachers, and when I feel I have a more mature idea, I sit on the bench and start giving it a form. Invariably, what I have planned changes (sometimes a lot, sometimes a little), mainly due to some characteristic of the material, but I like to leave a door open to the imponderable. As I am very rational, having this space for chance, for the unplanned, is a kind of freedom. Actually, this is one of the things that captivates me the most about jewellery: the material always speaks louder.

Your work consists of different mediums such as silver, wood, copper. What are your favourite materials to use and which one is the most challenging to work with?

I love experimenting with new materials and understanding how each one behaves or does not behave. They are like guides for new paths. I also like to go back to those I tried after a while. I often see things I haven’t noticed in this second approach.
I think the material that has challenged me the most is salt. To be honest, I have a particular fixation on it. It has a beautiful symbolism and once even had monetary value. Salt is also present in all aspects of our life (from tears to cooking, passing through religion); it is a beautiful crystal that is rigid and fragile simultaneously. Furthermore, it acts on the metal by oxidizing it and impregnating it with the mark of time. All these characteristics fascinate me.
I have already made some pieces of salt, but I still feel that I have a lot to explore.

Huge thanks to Mayumi for taking the time to talk to us. We hope you enjoyed learning more
about the Japanese-Brazilian jewellery designer as much as we did.
If you’d like to buy some of Mayumi’s artworks, take a look at our Online Shop here.
You can also check out her pieces during our Contemporary Jewellery Fair this December.

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