By Aoife Carnevale
The prominent drama series Game of Thrones became incredibly popular for its striking storyline and shocking twists and turns. However in addition to being one of the biggest TV obsessions during its runtime , as a visual medium it’s a beautifully crafted cinematic piece. Not just in the stunning sets and scenery, but particularly the costuming and jewellery. I had the privilege of talking with Brona Steenson, the Director of Steenson’s Jeweller and the creative behind the Jewellery that was designed and made for Game of Thrones, alongside other popular television productions.
A: From what I understand, you grew up in the industry and the business was initially opened by your parents. Was jewellery always the artform you planned to work in?
B: Not at all. I worked onsite as a Saturday girl. But no, I actually studied ceramics in university, so I’m a retired ceramist. (Laughs). But when the assistant manager (of Steensons Jewellers) retired, I was asked to step in.
A: You have some incredibly beautiful pieces up on your website. The vines of gold collection is my favourite, as are the gold and topaz and gold and green amethyst pieces, which are gorgeous. Alot of your work is inspired by the irish landscape and culture but i have to ask where you got the inspiration for some of your other collections like Theorems, Elemental, and Papyrus?
B: We use our laser machine to manufacture them. In terms of inspiration it’s not always something specific, it’s really just from sketching. It’s more about what looks good and what works together, different shapes and compositions. I’m not exactly sitting outside and sketching from nature for a specific inspiration. I kind of work backwards, when the collection is finished, the way I describe and name each one is really just what sounds good and what fits.
A: Your work really highlights the beauty of Ireland. I feel like Irish culture is becoming more prominent and appreciated in media and entertainment, probably stemming from the release of Game of Thrones, Derry Girls, The Banshees of Inisherin and other prominent Irish actors and writers. Do you think you would be interested in working on any more jewellery and costume designs in Irish film and TV? Or even beyond Ireland?
B: Well we have. We worked on a series of pieces for other productions e.g Dungeons and Dragons and Dracula untold. Even the Game of Thrones spin off, House of Dragons, although I’m not sure those pieces were actually used. But there’s always a timing issue when it comes to Film and TV, with producers of larger projects, they want it done yesterday. So everything has to be done fast.
A: At Steensons Jewellers, you design and create the jewellery yourselves, could you explain a little bit about what this process looks like and how it develops from that initial idea to a finished product?
B: Sort of from sketching random shapes like the collections. Polished and influenced by what’s selling best at that time and what the customer wants. Which is always affected by the scale and fashion of time. I also get inspo from trade fairs, gather some ideas and then narrow it down to one or two. I send my sketches and designs to the Goldsmiths and they can make mockups. Although with more specific projects and commissions like engagement rings for example, they are done on CAD. Which is a software that allows you to build a piece on screen and see how it will turn out. From there, it’s 3D printed wax that can be cast, in a process called lost-wax casting. We burn the wax out to get a hollow imprint, creating a mould and then we can pour in the molten metal.
A: You were commissioned to design and craft the jewellery for Game of Thrones after being in contact with their head costume designer? What was the first piece you made for them – was it supposed to be a one off or did they plan for you to create multiple pieces from the outset?
B: We made a few pieces for the pilot. Robert’s crown, the lioness necklace, and of course Sansa had a smaller one. The very first one we did was The Hand of the King bronze chain of office. This was a half metre long bronze chain of interlocking hands that weighs over 200g of solid brass. Although it’s barely visible in the actual episode. For series two, we created all those bird pieces, in series three, we made Margaery’s wedding tiara and Sansa’s necklace.
A: The jewellery you normally create was described by yourself as more “contemporary clean lined designs” – were these more theatrical designs a challenge and did being a fan of the books assist you in this process?
B: Yes. As a maker you want them to look well made, but film producers, especially for Game of Thrones, want it to look quite battered and have an aged feel to it, so we were like “what do we do? Do we kick it around the workshop a bit?” from the first series, we were given very detailed specifications. But I believe from series 4 onward, it was more of a concept that we were given. There were of course an array of technical issues, with the show wanting things done a specific way or having a specific feature that just wasn’t possible within the time frame, so these were always solved with offering them an alternative of what we were able to do. Once it was a big production it became quite secretive, and we didn’t know exactly how a piece was going to be used in terms of plot. The costume designer, Michele Clapton, had her own vision that she wanted to see play out, so we didn’t see the rest of the outfits that the jewellery was going with, and so we were more manufacturer than designer at this point.
A: I imagine that crafting a prop or costume that acts as a particular plot device is a meticulous process and a complicated task. How much interaction did you have with the writers/directors to ensure it was accurate to the script?
B: None. Everything went through the costume department and the costume designers. Unless it’s a really small production, we have little to no contact with the writing side. But even with a really small production, they rarely have the budget to come to us anyway and have specific pieces and replicas made.
A: I also have to mention that my co-editor is also a huge Game of Thrones Fan, and she’s particularly curious about Sansa Stark’s iconic necklace (as seen on your website), did you know how this piece would be used in the plot when making it or were the plans kept pretty secret by the creators of the show?
B: We did know that Sansa’s necklace would need multiple replicas, which was done by making a mould, it was designed and created on CAD, we can then 3D print as many as we want. We made Margaery’s wedding necklace through this method as well. In terms of Sansa’s necklace, they wanted the gem to look like the poison that had been dropped into it, but we couldn’t get the shape they wanted in real and proper gemstone, it was a timeframe issue. We ended up using a Belfast resin printing service, they printed a clear crystal and we gave it a thin layer of that transparent blue colour. Creating replicas wasn’t new to us, it’s the same process for our collections that you mentioned. Collections won’t be a one off, we are used to production making. And with Sansa’s necklace, they just said it would be thrown overboard and they don’t how many times they will have to refilm a take of that scene so they’ll need a good amount of replicas. There’s probably still some floating in the bottom of the sea.
A: That’s quite sad to think about, it feels like a waste. I might go for a dive to see if I can retrieve a replica.
B: (Laughs)
A: I was wondering if you could explain the concept of Économusée, which I believe is something you incorporate into your business? How does this notion highlight your creative process?
B: It keeps the skill of the craft alive, when things weren’t necessarily commercially viable. It’s a funded attempt for small businesses doing this kind of traditional craft. Some will do tours to describe the process and give out information. It really became a network of artisans and craftspeople. As a network, now, it is very food heavy, it’s mostly seen in breweries and bakeries. It moved to being set up across water here in Ireland and Britain and in Scandinavian countries.
I think that we were like 5th or 6th to become an Économusée in Northern Ireland? I mean we were already following those ideals so it was like we already ticked all the boxes required, although I wouldn’t say it changed business in any way. (Laughs)
This kind of Artisans work changed its name a while ago, over here it didn’t work, because the British and Irish thought it felt reminiscent of a museum, which is full of dead things and that almost goes against the definition entirely as this is about the movement and life of craft.
A: Finally, are there any upcoming plans or collections that you’d like to share with our readers?
B: I haven’t released a new collection in 3 years, I have no time for new collections (Laughs). But there are new pieces going into the cabinets all the time. Redesign is where the business is heading. Sustainability. Environmental focus. Something your generation is familiar with. With the price of gold right now, and if it increases in the future, it makes sense to remake over buying new, and we can turn old pieces that people aren’t wearing anymore into something new by melting down and redesigning, like with wedding rings following a divorce for example.
Constantly making new pieces and buying gold gets to the point where it’s unaffordable for our customers. But I have no large plans for my designs to take over the world. I like making. And my small business is able to facilitate that for me. I love working with a customer and seeing as they get that final piece in their hands. The end product has the ability to turn into photographs through the CAD software, it’s been able to do that for well over a decade. So the customer sees exactly what it’s gonna look like. Whereas it used to be that they would receive a little pencil drawing from myself.
To take a look at Steenson’s incredible work or purchase a piece for yourself, all jewellery and information can be found at https://www.thesteensons.com/.
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