Jet Engine to Jewellery
This project started as a collaboration between Rolls-Royce & Partners Finance (RRPF) and Glasgow School of Art when I was an Artist in Resident, to re-use decommissioned jet engine parts as part of RRPF’s circular economy mission.
The jet engine parts selected for the project are called Seal Segments and have been transformed into narrative wearable jewellery pieces, including cufflinks, earrings, lapel pins and pendants.
Background
Due to the way an engine is maintained throughout its life there are still many parts left at the end of a particular engine’s life which are in excellent condition and can be re-certified, resulting in “Serviceable Used Material”. This material can be used in the maintenance of other engines. This use of Serviceable Used Material gives a second life to parts and also offers substantial cash savings compared to using new material. Parts that cannot be re-certified due to their condition or having reached a prescribed life limit are recycled in other ways to recover their inherent material value.
About Seal Segments
Seal Segments are installed in the low pressure (LP) turbine of a Trent 700 engine to form a tight seal around the turbine blades at the rear of the engine, so that the hot exhaust air is efficiently directed through the blades. The Seal Segments have a honeycomb structure to allow cooling air flow to stop the parts from melting as this part of the engine reaches temperatures of nearly 800 degrees Celsius.
Each Part Has A Story
The first batch of Seal Segments that were transformed into jewellery were removed from an engine that flew around the world for 18 years. It was operated by Thomas Cook and flew from Manchester to US destinations, including Orlando, New York and Las Vegas, and furthermore Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. In its life the engine took off nearly 10,000 times and accumulated nearly 63,000 flying hours.
Following the completion of the initial jewellery pieces commissioned by Rolls-Royce & Partners Finance, we have been working to make a new exciting collection to everyone as a special gift for the festival season in the end of 2023.
Since we received a fruitful feedback from public regarding the pre-order of our new collection, we decided to continue this exciting project on a ‘made to order’ basis and we will endeavour to fulfil your order as soon as possible.
