Conceptual artist and jewellery designer Ambra Gambale is carving out a niche for herself on the SA design scene with her intriguing collection of fantastical and darkly romantic pieces.
A student of both law and literature, Gambale discovered her love of design when she went to study at the prestigious international school, Central Saint Martins, in London.
"I completed my degree at UCT but still felt creatively unfulfilled so instead of going into the job market, I took a risk and moved to the UK to pursue a wide range of creative arts courses," says Gambale.
"When I came back to South Africa I realised that my passion for jewellery was strong enough to pursue and I had a good idea about what I wanted to achieve with Ambra Fine Jewellery - a South African made product with a difference."
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Many jewellery designers have a pretty or romantic aesthetic, but Gambale's approach is full of contradictions (her pieces are fierce and gentle, morbid and ethereal) and subliminal messages.
"I've always been drawn to signs and symbols. As a child I would often sketch helixes in my artworks. Now my logo for Ambra Fine Jewellery is a more advanced version of that - a labyrinth with an earring in it. I feel that these ancient symbols are deep within my subconscious and come to the surface in my work.
"There are treasures inside my mind that manifest in everything I do creatively. For example, there are trapdoors, hands, eyes, insects that appear repeatedly in my decor."
Her brand has been well received. "The market has responded to and embraced the creativity of my pieces. There's something for every woman (and man) be it an edgy, mystical piece or one with simple, classic lines.
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''The fact that my pieces are more design-focused, detail-orientated and unusual has been appreciated by the market, which as a whole, hasn't been exposed to that many experimental works. There's always love and magic imbued in everything I make and South Africans respond well to the authenticity expressed in my work.
"Jewellery design in this country is still conservative and conventional in nature. This means the younger generation sometimes struggles to find extraordinary, offbeat pieces to wear that are beautifully crafted. With my brand I strive to reintroduce the youth to the idea that jewellery is something one should save up for and cherish for years rather than buy for a night out or festival and then hastily dispose of for the next mass-produced item."
There's plenty more to come from this jewellery design visionary.
"I'm planning to open a showroom in London to foster greater awareness of my conceptual showroom in De Waterkant, Cape Town, where all my jewellery and skull artworks can be viewed by private appointment."
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