Murphy has always been fascinated by the value placed on a piece of jewellery, where sentiment often far outweighs its monetary worth. The concept of value is explored through her creation of gems made from discarded plastic materials, challenging the stigma that jewellery must be made solely from fine, precious materials.

Sarah Murphy is a jewellery artist from Columbus, Ohio, who holds an M.F.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). She focuses on achieving a sustainable practice through the use of upcycled materials and has developed her own unique jewellery-making process, which involves creating her own gems from discarded plastic collected from her family’s steel cable manufacturing plant in Marion, Ohio. Her work constantly challenges the standard of perfection in jewellery making and redefines the value of the materials used. Her metal work follows the same philosophy, as she employs melting and fusing processes to create sculptural, one-of-a-kind pieces.

In this body of work, she vividly reclaims emotional value by applying the kintsugi philosophy, which finds beauty in imperfections. The kintsugi process of mending broken objects with gold adhesive demonstrates how empowerment can be achieved through awareness, desire, and the willingness to make a change. It is this process of empowerment that drives her work—by controlling the uncontrollable. Jewellery is the perfect medium for this exploration, as it not only acts as a connective device between people, but also holds immense value through the invisible narrative tied to the human condition.

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