Manhattan Wing Necklace

2025
Sterling silver, 23.5ct gold, silicone, steel, magnets.

Available for sale at Elisabetta Cipriani Gallery

I’ve been to New York City a number of times now but I’ll never forget my first visit at the tender age of 16.
As yet unaware of the Art Deco movement, my parents took me to see the Chrysler Building and I was blown away. 

I loved the luxurious, streamlined aesthetic with its clean lines and sharpened edges, echoing the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the machine age. I was particularly struck by the beautiful, gold-inlay lotus flowers on the elevator doors and the eagles that decorate the corner stones, their angular wings spread behind them. 

I visited New York in September 2025 for the launch of The Jewelry Book and this piece materialised shortly afterwards. It represents a spreading wing with gold ‘keumboo’ applied in a rectangular pattern reminiscent of the verticals and horizontals of the high-rise buildings and the orderly grid formation that characterise the cityscape.