Tara Turner, jeweller
I’m wearing a very old pendant in the form of Tara, the [Buddhist] goddess of compassion and wisdom. She was once bronze, time-worn and soft around the edges, and is now cast in gold. It feels ancient and protective, like something that has always been meant to be close to the body, which is lucky because I’ve basically decided it’s coming with me everywhere!
My Dad gave it to me when I was little, so from the very beginning it felt like more than an object. More of a talisman or guide I guess, and over the years it became threaded with memory of childhood and the life we shared. After he passed away, it took on another layer entirely. It became a way of keeping him nearby.
I was named after her. She’s green Tara, the goddess of compassion, often described as the mother of all buddhas, and beyond my own connection to her she represents protection, courage and a steady kind of fearlessness.
This one sits at the centre of everything for me. I’ve wanted to cast it for a long time, to give it permanence, in gold, and make it something I could wear daily without fear of losing it. I love its quiet strength, its compassion and the way it carries my name, my dad and my work all in one small, weighty form.
For years, I hardly wore it at all as it lived in my treasure box. It was something I would take out now and then, have a little moment with and put safely away again. It felt too precious in the truest sense; it wasn’t about value, but about what it carried. Now that it’s been recast, it’s shifted into something I feel able to wear every day, less tucked away and more part of my life. I love gold and turning it into a piece I can wear feels like a way of keeping him close in a quiet, everyday kind of way. I wear it simply, usually on a fine chain, with whatever I’m in that day. It doesn’t need styling. It just needs to be with me, and frankly it has no intention of going back in the box!
When it comes jewellery I dream of owning, I don’t have a single piece in mind, because I’m always looking at things and thinking, what could this become? I’m obsessed with pieces that have lived a life already and I love the idea of finding something old and incredible, then turning it into something wearable. So, my dream piece is probably something I haven’t found yet.
Photography by Paola Pieroni and production Sonya Mazuryk. Taken from 10 Magazine Issue 76 – CREATIVITY, CHANGE, FREEDOM – out NOW. Order your copy here.
