A celebration of an avid jewelry collector’s living legacy for NYC Jewelry Week 2022
My dear friend, fellow Pratt alumna, and incredible jeweler Odette Channell invited me to take part in and help to facilitate the exhibit Treasure in Translation for NYC Jewelry Week 2022. An homage to her great aunt Natty, who gifted Odette an epic trove of antique and vintage jewelry a few years ago, the show incorporates original designs of twenty five contemporary jewelers. Each of us participating artists made an original work inspired by a piece selected from Nattey’s hoard. Our creations were displayed in tandem with the jewels that prompted our designs, showcasing to viewers a cherished and unusual range of treasures and their corresponding translations.
It was a challenge to choose which piece of jewelry I wanted to “translate” amongst the many hundreds which Nattey sourced over the course of seventy years from flea markets, estate and garage sales, thrift shops, and beyond. After much consideration, I chose the lovely mother of pearl pendant (pictured below). It was a joy to nod toward the radial symmetry and repetitive elements of the original in the piece that I crafted. To honor the celestial vibe of my inspiration, I preserved the sunburst-esque composition, while trading the central star shape for a lunar layout.
There is nothing like collaborating with friends in this field, and it was an all-around pleasure to take part in this project! I’ve decided to keep my “translation” for myself as a memento, but you can shop the rest of the necklaces in my signature sanctum style here.
Left: My one-of-a-kind piece for the show; Right: The inspiration piece from Odette's Aunt Natty's collection.
Odette and I looking relieved after an exhausting show install!
