ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the way in which the ancient practice of alchemy and the figure of the alchemist could be used to offer researchers and practitioners—in particular those operating at the boundaries between creative and scientific practice—a model for engaging with the concept of cross-disciplinary knowledge generation. Networks of alchemical practitioners began to emerge in many of the larger cultural centres, such as London, Paris and Amsterdam, spreading their recipes and speculative practices amongst a tight-knit and somewhat secretive circle in the form of writings, recipes and personal accounts. Jewellery artists such as Ruudt Peters have continued to engage with these ideas through exploring concepts of spirituality, materiality and the role of the maker in shaping altered perceptions of value. A generation of jewellery artists has emerged that revel in exploring cutting-edge technologies and materials, pushing the boundaries of what constitutes jewellery in the process.
