In England we might call Alistair McCowan a ‘magpie’, a British term for a collector or scavenger, a treasure hunter with an unquenchable thirst for The Find. Since childhood, Alistair has always been on the hunt for fascinating things; rare, special, curious, hopefully overlooked and potentially valuable things. Childhood museum visits to the British Museum had introduced him to the jewels of the Egyptian Pharaohs and he was particularly drawn to the craftsmanship and tactile textures of Byzantine treasures. Stories about the Gold Rush, buried treasure, shipwrecks filled with golden doubloons thrilled him, and so naturally the discovery of Andy Warhol’s extensive jewelry collection, a priceless cache, found hidden in his Upper East Side apartment after his death and later auctioned by Sotheby’s, really grabbed McCowan’s attention.  Although he couldn’t bid for a bracelet, he was able to acquire the catalog and countless other volumes which taught him to hone his taste for fabulous things.

 When I first met him I noticed the towering stack of of Philips jewelry auction catalogs in his apartment- very promising, I thought (Reader, I married him). And true to form, he gave me not one but 3 engagement rings- not all at once I should add. 

Obviously as his in-house muse it was my job to wear the things that he found at flea markets, auctions and antique malls. We shared a taste for large, statement pieces rather than anything feminine, delicate or subtle.

 After years benefitting from his magpie eye, it occurred to me that perhaps my ‘can-do’ DIY husband should really be making jewelry himself and so invested in my future bling by sending him to two evening courses, one at Pratt (art school in Brooklyn) and the other at Brooklyn Metalworks. Within a year he was selling his wares to my friends and colleagues and had graduated from Finder to Maker.

The red thread that connects his evolving collection of caste bronze rings and cuffs is his interest in the work of the St. Ives group of artists and sculptors, specifically Barbara Hepworth and her husband, Ben Nicholson. He translates their signature amorphous shapes into cast bronze reliefs attached to a leather band or joined by chains. Hepworth’s bronzes are often the starting point for a ring and a plaster relief by Nicholson inspired McCowan’s first ever piece, a patinated and layered brass cuff.

He sees the jewelry as wearable sculpture for people who can handle adding some art (and weight) to their wrists and fingers. ‘I can’t make anything delicate; my hands are too big and my eyesight isn’t good enough for delicate pieces’, he explains.

One of the best things about his new path? That it is perfectly portable; he carries his tools in one (albeit rather heavy) tote bag, perfect for a scavenger-at-large.