Materials and Workmanship

aquamarinene_and_gold_necklace_highjewelry

WORKMANSHIP

100% made in Spain.

Rites of Passage uses and combines several materials.

Rites of Passage uses and combines different materials:

METEORITES, extraterrestrial fragments of 3.5 billion years old that come, mostly, from the Asteroid Belt.
PRECIOUS STONES AND RARE GEMS , of ethereal origin.
MARINE ORGANIC MATERIALS
PRECIOUS WOODS
CRYSTAL SAPPHIRE: in some necklaces the back is covered with crystal, attached to an 18 K gold-plated profile, which allows to visualize the meteorite and to isolate the jewel from the skin in the area of contact with the skin. These crystals are of siliceous mineral base.
PLATINUM and 18 K GOLD, of ethical origin.

From “another world”. Meteorites.

An important material in the creations of Rites of Passage are meteorites. Most of them metallic, a type of meteorite composed mostly of iron and nickel. Some of them forming alloys that reveal a structured pattern in intertwined bands of kamacite and taenite, which have developed by slow cooling for more than 3.5 billion years. Fragments of the universe that come from the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter.

We mainly use Seymcham and Sikhote Alin meteorites due the beauty and contrasts of its unique line pattern and also for its stability. The first one belongs to the scarce 1,8% of the mixed meteorites that fall in the earth; that is to say, that in addition to metals, sometimes in parts of this one are silicate rocks of an extreme beauty. A few creations are made in Gibeon. In any case, all meteorites used by us are officially analysed and catalogued.

Learn more about Fe + Ni metal meteorites

THE CASE

The case, made with cement and wood, is also an original piece with exclusive design, an sturdy well-made and non-perishable object. Each of them is made in an artisan mold with cast concrete, load of white impalpable marmoline and powdered pumice stone. Colored cement with black pigment. Each piece is unique and may be a little different in color and texture of the surface due to the variable properties of concrete.

The covers are iroko wood dyed in black ebony and red mahogany. Protected with lacquer rubber varnish made with lacquer worm excretion flakes, dissolved in alcohol. The black dye has been obtained with vitriol (iron sulphate), oak gills (tannin) and Arabic gum (acacia resin). The mahogany dye is made with cochineal (insect) and nogaline (extract of the green walnut shell).