Capucine Huguet is a French jeweller, trained in Paris and London who uses jewellery to highlight environmental issues. During her MA Design Jewellery at the Central Saint Martins School, she developed her collection Wahlenbergbreen mementoes, which captures the ephemerality of the melting process of glaciers. Integral to the research was a live visit to Svalbard in the polar north, to meet scientists and study ice melting due to climate change. The devastating scale of change crystallised the issues for the project.

This collection of rings freeze focuses on the microscopic process of liquification, as millennia of ice is disappearing. The jewels pay tribute to the Arctic, but also spark interaction and discussion such as ‘memento-mori’; they are constant reminders of what is being lost. The project is delivered through a wide range of modes of experimentation, production and technologies from historical to entirely contemporary. Using recycled or sustainable materials were non-negotiable and part of the knowledge base and approach.