by Ann Covode

“The snail inside its shell, the fox in its burrow, sparrows gathering twigs – I watch and see how we crave structure, a place to rest, to be, to dwell..” Eve Alfillé.

Eve has been thinking of the Idea of home for her new series for several years but during the pandemic it has become even more important. At first she focused on the idea of home because we were all spending so much time there. As the pandemic wore on her ideas became more about the emotional reactions to the pandemic.

“About two years ago, I began to think about jewels in praise of habitat. Reeds and poles, bricks and stones. I hunted for rough gems that could be bricks, clear aquamarines like the sky through a window, and all the while, it was going to be just that: the entrance to my House as a brooch, tiny fireplaces for earrings?” reflects Eve.

“But, just like when I was a very small child and war erupted around us, suddenly things changed.”

At first Eve felt numb when the pandemic began. It was a shock to all of us and she was no exception. Although, she could draw on her experiences from her childhood in France where her family was forced into hiding during WWII. At age 6 ½ they lived in a small room in a house and she couldn’t leave. She was home schooled at a young age. Perhaps, that’s where her creativity started to bloom?

In her collection she experiments with the ideas of independence using keshi pearls which have an independent spirit of their own. She mimics the hard choices we now make in her beautiful “Small wedding” necklace with bold stormy aquamarines and kyanite.

Eve captures many of the emotions we have all experienced in her new pieces. She mimics the sky and freedom with her aquamarine earrings.

She also explores the positive side of home with warm stones that reflect the hearth and warm fires burning.

Eve’s creativity is alive and well in this new series. Diving deep into an emotional response, she captures our conflicting new emotions at this time.