Donut Discipline

This exercise introduces students to one of the most fundamental — and demanding — techniques in jewellery making: piercing with a hand saw.

Starting from a simple brass sheet, each student is given a set of four schematic templates defining a flat, donut-shaped bangle. The band, limited to a 1 cm width, becomes a controlled space for exploration: a surface to be cut, opened, and reinterpreted.

Rather than designing from scratch, students begin within constraint. The provided patterns act as a structure — a rhythm to follow, resist, or transform. Once selected, each template is redrawn, adapted, and translated into metal through careful sawing, followed by extensive filing and finishing.

The repetition of the circular form shifts the focus away from invention and toward precision, control, and attention to detail. Each cut becomes a decision; each imperfection, a lesson.

What emerges is a series of bangles that share a common starting point, yet reveal individual approaches to pattern, density, and interpretation.


VCUArt Qatar (2026)
CRAFT 491 TOPICS IN CRAFT/MATERIAL STUDIES: JEWELRY
Students:

Hanan Al-Amri, Aisha Al-Binali, Nouf Al-Kuwari, Alfajer Ghanem, Mallak Hassan, Nourhan Soltan, Wadha Al-Kuwari, Hissa Al-Kubaisi, Fatma Al-Kuwari, Aljohara Al-Meraikhi, Maha Al-Naimi, Muneera Al-Thani, Amna, Sada.