Handmade by Ashka Dymel in Brooklyn, New York.

This necklace is made of stainless steel with sterling silver connections, and semiprecious stones.

Dimensions: approximately 1.1” wide x 3” tall, on an 18” silver wheat chain.

Available in brushed silver or blackened silver.

Primarily self-taught, I avoid traditional stone setting techniques and connections. My work is recognized by its unique method of capturing stones within metal frames creating negative space as an integral part of the composition. The use of thin wires to hold the elements together is another non-traditional technique allowing for movement and structural flexibility. A combination of unique materials and methods results in a joyful piece of wearable art. All the work is handmade using sterling silver, 18k gold bimetal, and semi-precious stones and minerals.

Ashka Dymel was born in Warsaw, Poland. After studies in liberal arts and foreign languages in Poland and Czechoslovakia, Ashka moved to the United States where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Environmental Design from Parsons School of Design in New York City. Ashka was an Adjunct Professor of Design and Design History at her alma mater Parsons from 1988 through 1995. From 2006 to 2008 Ashka was a Visiting Professor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn conducting design seminars in the Jewelry division of the Sculpture Department. After several years of working in the field of architecture, Ashka began to design jewelry and small objects. Since 1990 she has run her own studio in Brooklyn, New York. Ashka lives with her husband and son in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. 

Ashka’s approach to jewelry making and design is informed by her architectural training and background. Guided by a Modernist aesthetic, Ashka achieves harmony in modular repetitions of geometric forms. A Minimalist aesthetic and preference for clean lines are major forces influencing her work, resulting in pure and graceful pieces. Modernism movements of the 1920s, such the Bauhaus School and Russian avant-garde art, are main inspirations for Ashka in making her work. In her latest collections she also incorporates mid-20th-century design aesthetics.

Find more of Ashka's work here.