When I was planning my wedding at the end of 2021, I was in search of a very specific necklace. I was looking for something elegant and intricate, but understated enough to harmonize with the lace, tulle, and sequins on my gown and with my handknitted wedding shawl. Most of all, I was looking for something that would speak to the Scottish Art Nouveau theme of the wedding. And I wasn’t finding anything that I particularly liked.
I was doing a cross-country consultation with my sister, Michelle Lotz (an artist and jewelry designer) about some potential options when she very generously offered to make me a necklace. I eagerly accepted, and thus began a collaboration between my sister and my mom (a glass artist) to create something better than I could have ever imagined.
Here’s a look inside the process, with some tips from my sister for designing a bridal necklace!
Inspiration
In planning the necklace, we were inspired by the work of famed Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh and by the textiles, gesso panels, and metalwork of sisters Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh and Frances Macdonald. The “Glasgow Style” that these artists pioneered was at the forefront of the Art Nouveau movement
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