In my studio, I often hear them pass by: “What are those, those dots?”, “Are they pellets?”, and my personal favourite: “It looks like disco dip!”
And honestly? That always makes me smile a little. Because those little balls-granules are inseparable from my work. But what are they? And where did this technique come from?
What are granules?
Granules are small, round balls of precious metal. They have been used in jewellery for thousands of years, particularly in Etruscan, Roman, and Georgian goldsmithing. The original technique is called granulation, and it is a sophisticated craft in which the spheres are melted or fused onto the surface of a piece of jewellery, often in graceful and symmetrical patterns.
The oldest examples are museum pieces: think tiaras, pendants and fibulas from ancient Georgia or the Mediterranean, where the granules are applied to rows and circles with mathematical precision. Dazzlingly beautiful – and impressive in terms of technique.
How are granules made?
The traditional way of making granules is quite time-consuming. Small pieces of precious metal (often gold) are heated on a coal or in a special container until they melt and become naturally spherical due to surface tension. Then they are sorted by size – often with a sieve or by hand – and applied one by one to the jewellery.
In classic granulation, the beads are held in place with a mixture of organic binder (such as gum arabic) and copper salts. Then, the piece is heated, causing the spheres to adhere to the surface without visible solder.
From an exhibition to one’s signature
My love for granules began in 2010, at the “Gold from Georgia” exhibition at the Drents Museum. I was then a beginning goldsmith, still thoroughly searching for my style. Colored gemstones already played a leading role in my work – there was never any doubt about that – but I was still missing something that would make my work truly recognisable.
That exhibition touched something in me. The power of something small. The subtlety of repetition. And especially the way something seemingly simple, like a ball of gold, can have so much eloquence.
That’s where my search began. Not for perfection or symmetry, but for something that suited my way of working. And so I started experimenting with granules – but in my way.
Controlled chaos
What distinguishes my work from the classical technique is that I do solder the granules in place. And that I consciously choose not to use ordered patterns. No mathematical rows or circles, but a kind of ‘controlled chaos’.
The granules in my work appear to be randomly placed, but they are not. Each sphere sits exactly where it should. Sometimes as a counterpoint, sometimes as a point of tension, sometimes as a small detail that you only discover on second viewing.
That play between structure and looseness is what I value so much. It makes my jewellery both playful and recognisable.
When people say, “Oh yes, this is a Kobak,” it’s often because of those polka dots—my globules.
A time without bulbs?
And yet … after years of working with granules, there came a time when I was a little fed up with it myself. The challenge seemed gone. It became predictable – and that makes me restless.
I wanted to explore how I could innovate the technique, and that led me to a different idea: what if I didn’t use the granules on the outside? Thus was born the first design for the Inside Out collection, featuring granules on the inside of the design—a surprise for the person wearing the jewellery.
That experiment brought me back to the essence of my style. For what I thought I was “leaving behind,” in fact, turned out to be inseparable from my work. It also gave me ideas for jewellery like Summer Rose, where the familiar granules gave way to small diamonds. Not to abandon the technique, but to see what it does when you use the same construction, but with a different material.
The diamonds give the jewellery a completely different effect: surprising, subtly sparkling, but with that same layering and movement that I appreciate so much in granules. And that’s what I’m experimenting with now – fine-tuning what I call my signature, without ever stopping.
More than decoration
For me, granules are now more than decoration. They have become handwriting. I use them in rings, earrings, and pendants – sometimes subtly, sometimes with a pronounced effect. And whether it’s 14kt gold, 18kt, yellow gold or silver: granules always add something. Something tangible. Something of their own.
And perhaps that’s what I love most about this technique: that no matter how old, they can constantly be reshaped.
Love,
Sarah
