Jeremy May

Jeremy May’s jewelry designs are definitely not by the book. Except that they are. His handmade paper jewelry line, Little Fly, is crafted from old literary editions. Jeremy laminates hundreds of pages together, and then finishes them with a high gloss to form one-of-a-kind rings, bracelets, pendants and more. The paper is selected and carefully removed from a specific section, and the finished design is beautifully re-inserted into the book’s void. Check out his current exhibition at Craft2eu in Hamburg, Germany and read his inspiring 10 ANSWERS below.

1. How would you describe your work in three words?
Re-claimed, re-cycled, re-formed.

2. Who is your creative role model?
That is a difficult question, I guess I would have to say that I am inspired by people from the design world and from other paths of life that are following their instinct with conviction and are driven by the illusion of reaching perfection.

3. If you had an extra hour each day what would you do with it?
Well an extra hour a day, I would work on the jewels.

4. What place in the world most inspires you and why?
I travel quite often but not often enough, although there are places I go back to, I feel that most of my inspiration comes from travelling, I guess it is the journey that teaches you the most, in the words of kavafis and his poem Ithaca.

5. If you could do a different job for a day what would it be and why?
I would like to be an airline pilot-though it is not the most sustainable way to travel.

6. What is your favorite homemade gift to give?
That would be one of my amazing deserts.

7. What is your favorite object in your home?
My favorite object, must be our coffee machine that sits proudly on the most prominent position on the kitchen worktop.

8. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
I had the chance to study under wise people and be surrounded by very interesting minds. I think the advice given is the most valuable aspect of human interaction. I had the wonderful opportunity to learn from people from all walks of life. If I had to choose one piece of advice it would have to be: ‘to observe all that is around you’.

9. What websites do you use for inspiration?
I have a strange system of surfing the Internet where I come up with random words and see where it takes me. I believe that inspiration can come from anything in this world not just the design realm.

10. When do you consider a piece of your work complete?
To know when a piece of work is complete takes as much strength as starting a design on a blank page. I rely on my wife Eva to stop me from obsessing.