Edinburgh College of Art’s Dr Maria Maclennan didn’t set out to invent a new discipline. But after her graduate jewellery collection was stolen, she began to see precious metals and gemstones in a new light – not just as adornment, but as silent witnesses. Today, she’s recognised as the world’s first “forensic jeweller,” working with police and disaster victim identification teams around the globe. In this conversation with Enlightened, she reveals how jewellery can speak for those who can no longer tell their stories.

What inspired you to fuse jewellery design and forensic investigation into a unified discipline?

I would love to say the idea was entirely mine—that I had a sudden overnight epiphany – but alas, I can’t take all the credit! Jewellery valuers, archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists have been exploring the links between jewellery, death, identity, and the human body for centuries. In my case, I originally studied Jewellery and Metal Design at the University of Dundee, but some of my work was stolen from an external exhibition shortly after graduating. Safe to say, I was pretty miffed! So I returned to do my Master’s, not really knowing what else to do – the last thing I wanted at that time was to make more jewellery! But as luck would have it, the university was running a larger project on ‘secondary’ methods of forensic human identification, looking at clothing, tattoos – and jewellery. Enter Maria!

Why is jewellery particularly effective in disaster or crime scene identification?

Jewellery can help estimate the approximate date or time of death (for example, by examining a watch’s internal mechanism); the location of death (through the placement or dispersal of objects); the nature of death (accident, homicide, suicide); and even the cause of death (such as asphyxiation by neck chain). Because of its proximity to the body, jewellery may also physically harbour trace evidence such as skin cells containing DNA. Many pieces can be traced through hallmarks or serial numbers, while others bear personal engravings or reflect religious, cultural, or genealogical identity.

Your research emphasises co-design between jewellers and forensic professionals. How does that collaboration play out in practice?

With mixed success! In reality, much of this work I’ve done on my own, yet the discipline absolutely relies on collaboration. For ‘forensic jewellery’ to be recognised as a legitimate field, it needs inter-, multi-, and cross-disciplinary expertise: not just from the jewellery industry, but also law enforcement, forensic anthropology, archaeology, pathology, art history, and material culture studies – to name a few. Neither the jewellery trade nor the forensic industry can tackle these issues effectively in isolation.

Could you share examples of collaborations with law enforcement or international agencies?

I started out in Disaster Victim Identification (DVI), responding to international mass fatalities across aviation disasters, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks. Since then, I’ve worked with the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), Police Scotland, the National Crime Agency (NCA), INTERPOL, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Platform for Transnational Forensic Assistance, and the Brazilian Federal Police (who, incidentally, have a brilliant ‘Forensic Gemmology’ department!). I’m also a member of Blake International Emergency Services and the EU COST Migrant Disaster Victim Identification (MDVI) project.

What are the toughest limitations you face when using jewellery for forensic identification?

There are many! Jewellery is collectable and often changes hands—it may be gifted, stolen, borrowed, sold, or traded—so the limitations of personal effects must be carefully considered. While metals and gemstones are generally robust, the increase in plastics and other modern materials means many items deform in both form and appearance post-mortem, making them unrecognisable. Another challenge is the rise of mass-produced ‘high street’ jewellery, which makes differentiating between similar—or even identical—items very difficult.

Where do you see forensic jewellery heading in the next decade?

I’m currently involved in several projects related to the forensic and criminal analysis of jewellery. As much as I enjoy being called the ‘world’s first’ or ‘world’s only’ forensic jeweller, I want others to join me! I regularly deliver training to law enforcement, give guest lectures at academic institutions, and take part in public engagement activities – all with the aim of educating, inspiring, and encouraging others to explore this field, whether in forensic jewellery specifically or interdisciplinarity more broadly. There may even be a book and a couple of TV projects on the horizon!

Maria is Senior Lecturer (Teaching and Research) in Jewellery and Silversmithing at Edinburgh College of Art. She is also an award-winning interdisciplinary designer, researcher, educator, and TEDx Speaker.

Photos: Kim Cessford / The Courier

Related links

More from Maria

Jewellery and Silversmithing at ECA