Marina Rodríguez Ferrero is a Spanish jeweller (born in Madrid, 1999) based in the Drôme region of France. She studied Artistic Jewellery at the Lycée Amblard in Valence (DNMADE, Mention Objet: Bijou, matériaux et usages) and Comparative Literature at the UCM.
Working at the intersection of jewellery, drawing, and storytelling, she develops a narrative approach to adornment. Her pieces often extend beyond the object itself, incorporating stories, tales, or comics that open up additional layers of meaning. Deeply influenced by the ecofeminist thought she encountered during her university studies, Marina is particularly interested in bringing ecofeminist critique into dialogue with narrative jewellery. During her jewellery studies, she developed a manifesto intended to align her creative practice with her ethical and political concerns – a framework that continues to guide her work today.
Alongside her artistic practice, she works in a small workshop specialising in traditional jewellery repair and creation.
Current Obsession: Could you tell us the story behind your graduation project and what drew you to the subject?
Marina Rodríguez Ferrero: This project arose from a problem I faced when wanting to create a jewellery collection inspired by the literary work of Siri Hustvedt, specifically a distinctly feminist work entitled The Blazing World. Upon reflection, I realised that jewellery itself is completely at odds with my ecofeminist values, given that the materials used and the industry cause significant environmental damage, and that jewellery and its symbolism are directly linked to patriarchal power structures.
So, initially, I conducted a theoretical study critiquing classical jewellery from an ecofeminist perspective (to understand the problem in depth), and then I explored why contemporary jewellery is the perfect vehicle for respectful, even activist, creation. To complete the theoretical phase, I wrote my manifesto, Ecofeminist Keys to Contemporary Jewellery Creation, which I used as the basis for creating the pieces in my final project.
The project consists of a total of five pieces of jewellery (some comprising multiple parts), all of which relate to the manifesto. To create these pieces, I primarily used recycled materials (fabrics, tin cans, items found in secondhand shops, etc.) and found materials (clay collected in the mountains and wood). Each piece in the collection is accompanied by a story, and each addresses a different issue.
For example, the Devenir Montagne rings explore the question of how to experience a non-human gaze through jewellery (as one might experience it in literature through an animal narrator). It is a performative piece that compels the wearer to remain still and enter a contemplative state, merging with the mountain.
The Femme-Vipère brooches, meanwhile, are conceived as a comic strip (worn all at once and read as separate panels), stemming from a study of the positive symbolism of the snake in pre-Indo-European religions versus its association with evil in the patriarchal religion prevalent in the West.
I believe that creating a manifesto gives me a solid foundation from which to approach my creative process, as I’m now aware of what I don’t want to perpetuate and the path I want to follow. I would love to share it with other creators, and I’m sure it will serve as a roadmap for all my future jewellery.
CO: Beyond the gallery, where do you see your work taking root and finding its life? Who do you hope to reach with your work?
MRF: Although I think this project belongs mostly in the world of contemporary jewellery galleries and exhibitions, what I’d really love is to see these pieces out on the street.
That’s the idea behind Los Narradores, the photographic side of the project: jewellery always comes with a storyteller attached. Unlike paintings or films, which stay fixed on a wall or a screen, jewellery gets to leave the gallery. It can walk down the street. It can bump into people.
I consider this a key aspect of my project, since by addressing issues I deem important (the gaze of care, the symbolism of the serpent, dreams, feminism, activism…), the person wearing the jewellery can appropriate this discourse and discuss it with anyone who’s curious.
The pieces are deliberately eye-catching. I want them to stop people, to make someone want to ask, ‘what is that?’ So, the place where I’d like to see the jewellery come to life is on the street, generating dialogue and real-life contact, which I find so necessary – especially given how much of our lives now happens through screens.
CO: What’s your favourite studio ritual?
MRF: I think one of the parts I enjoy most is reading the notebook where I jot down all my ideas, drawings, collages made with collected fragments, and dreams. I love finding myself in other moments and remembering things that had faded away, using them all together to create new pieces. It’s a moment that makes me happy and that I think is important for working within my style.
