The Honourable Pig Collection
The Honorable Pig Pendant
The secret’s out! SAM HAM is beyond excited to finally announce the launch of the brand new ‘Honourable Pig’ collection. We’ve been keeping this one under wraps for quite some time, and it feels so good to finally share it with you all. In this blog, we take a look at how the collection came to be.
How we got here
The past 18 months have been absolutely chock-a-block with madness for us all, but there’s also been much to celebrate for Irish designer Sam in that time. Back in early 2020, working well into the final trimester of her first pregnancy, Sam then put down tools and welcomed baby Theo into the world in April, right as we all began settling into the drudgery of lockdown life for the first time.
As you can imagine, getting a handle on parenthood was almost all-consuming for Sam but in stolen moments, the seeds of what would later become The Honourable Pig collection were sown.
Piggies on the brain
Throughout much of her pregnancy, for some reason Sam found her mind beset with countless images of pigs and pearls that she couldn’t shake, so she began doodling them all over the place. In lieu of pregnancy cravings, she began having the same vivid recurring dream about her impending labour. In the dream, she would be surrounded by lovely British ‘Call the Midwife’ style midwives, who shouted for ‘more towels and hot water’ before handing her not a bouncing baby, but a swaddled pink piglet.
You’d think this might be a bit disconcerting but Sam tells me that each time she had the dream she was ‘only thrilled’ to bear the snorting little bundle, and in fact was a tad disappointed on Theo’s arrival to learn that it was ‘only a boy’ and not the pink piggy of her dreams.
Design work for the Honorable Pig Collection
Holding fast to her inspiration, Sam was determined to keep sketching, collaging and experimenting with the idea of the pig until a collection of fun, yet beautifully designed and proportioned pieces revealed themselves.
The Honourable Pig is born
As a designer, Sam loves a good contradiction and thrives off turning stereotypes on their heads. ‘The Honourable Pig’ collection plays on the opposing ideas of what a pig is traditionally perceived to be. Pigs are commonly viewed as smelly, dirty and greedy creatures but conversely are also known to be fiercely intelligent and often undeniably cute.
To celebrate these contradictions, pieces in the new collection take defining and unmistakable characteristics of the pig, such as the snout or curly tail, and combine them with a well-known symbol of honour, the shield. Traditionally, the shield shape is associated with a family crest, an award or an army medal.
The Piggy Pinky Ring
(Material: 9ct. Yellow Gold)
Sam loves to play with scale, designing ‘Big‘ and ‘Little‘ version of many of her concepts.
Now a staple of the SAM HAM brand, the new collection also features another new take on the signet ring, the “Pinky Piggy” signet ring. Sam notes her inspiration for the latest incarnation; “When I moved to London, I noticed all these men wearing blank signet rings on their pinky fingers. It felt like some kind of aspirational royal British thing that harkens back to lost heritage. The Pinky Piggy signet ring is a play on that.”
Sketch of the Piggy Tail Pearl Pendant
Pig Shield Earrings with two pear shaped drop pearls.
SAM HAM’s mission has always been to reinterpret symbols with previously established connotations, transforming them into something fresh and new. As she has done with previous collections, here with The Honourable Pig collection, Sam has taken something serious, traditional, gender specific and classic and put her own unique stamp on it, embracing the ethos of SAM HAM Design.
The Honourable Pig collection features 13 original pieces lovingly handcrafted in 9ct gold. The collection drop has begun! From now until the end of the summer, each week a new piece from the collection will land and be showcased in the SAM HAM shop, ready for ordering. Follow SAM HAM on Instagram to keep up to date with the launch.