Retro fast fashion and fun
Instantly recognisable for their geometric form and coloured glass insets, Ashton/Bribiesca rings are a statement of 1970s fast fashion and fun.
Made by an Auckland duo, married couple Lois Ashton and Jose Bribiesca, these rings were popular in the 1970s among lovers of fast fashion and statement jewellery.
Gifted to Te Papa by the family, the museum now has a collection of six rings, not currently on display, in its contemporary collection.
These unique pieces are an important part of the historical record of New Zealand fashion, and a lesser-known treasure in the museum’s archives.
Curator Justine Olsen said they were always looking to strengthen their contemporary jewellery collection.
‘‘It’s really important for us to tell the history of the cultural life within New Zealand’’.
This small collection of rings was important partly because the creators, Ashton and Bribiesca, were local creators.
They believed in spontaneous, fast fashion, and the rings had a distinctive geometric look also seen in visual art and architecture of the time.
‘‘It was intended to be absolutely fun,’’ Olsen said.
These rings were made throughout the 1970s, but the journey began when Jose, an American and a trained architect, moved to New Zealand in 1960.
The pair launched their designs in 1968 at the Bronze Mill Market, an important platform for creatives at the time.
The duo believed their jewellery should be worn and cherished in the moment, and was not the kind of thing to be handed down through the generations.
‘‘It’s interesting that 50 years later it’s still important to encapsulate that moment,’’ Olsen said.
They produced work up until Bribiesca died in 2019.
The rings were made of brass, chrome, and coloured Perspex – non-precious metals, making them very reasonably priced.
‘‘You can imagine these kinds of rings went really well with that hippie period,’’ Olsen said.
The 60s and 70s were the era of modernist jewellery, but these rings offered a comparison between the quality of handmade, and the commercial designs of Ashton/Bribiesca.
‘‘You can really see the relationship between art and jewellery,’’ she said.
People would still have these rings, she guessed, whether in forgotten jewellery boxes or still worn daily, passed on from one generation to the next despite the creators’ philosophy of fast fashion.
New Zealand jewellery had a good reputation in Europe and elsewhere overseas. It was possible their reach was further than our shores, she said.