Artist and stylist Nausheen Shah has collaborated with esteemed jewelry designer Monica Sordo to create a sui generis capsule collection of earsculptures––a reference to the chiseled construction of the collection's pieces. Produced in Lima, Peru, the collection pays homage to the artisans and master jewelers of the region, with whose expertise Sordo and Shah have pioneered methods of jewelry creation.
"For me, it had to be matte," Shah asserts of the finish of her desired earrings. "It saturates the color and makes it more intense. It catches light in a very particular way." But the high-quality matte she imagined had not yet been created. To execute their vision, Sordo and Shah worked with an electrostatic painting specialist to develop techniques that achieve the aureate sets' highly-saturated matte finish as well as fuse the special paint to the brass and maintain the paint's integrity over time.
Monica Sordo, an established and esteemed jewelry designer born in Caracas and bred of industrial design, creates Deco jewelry for her eponymous label. Her collections consistently and simultaneously push the boundaries of trend and timelessness. According to Sordo, the capsule collection "still has the soul of Monica Sordo (the brand) for its size and volumes but with a more modernist look...a few steps from the Deco style that defines our main line."
To Buy: Gala Set; $360
The Shah x Sordo collection combines the design heritage of both artists with a unique source of inspiration: the muses that inspired legendary artists. Artists themselves, these muses are the oft-unrecognized sources of motivation and inspiration behind the most famous works of Dali, Picasso, Van Gogh, and other male artists. Gala, the poet wife of Salvador Dalí, inspired her husband's work for the majority of both of their careers. The Gala set references Dalí's spherical patterns and, of course, the woman behind his work.
To Buy: Gilot Set; $385
"The strongest of [Picasso's] many muses" is Gilot, Shah muses. "Still alive and an artist in New York," Gilot not only left Picasso after many years of partnership to pursue her own career but remains independent from his reputation in her work today. The strength and balance of her character are represented in the Gilot set, which comes in two appropriately diverging hues: matte oyster and hunter green.
To Buy: Shah Set; $385, Shoulder Duster Set; $385
The Shah set, coming in matte stone grey and port hues and named for one half of the designer duo, was the collection's original design. The Shoulder Duster set, affectionately named "The Monica", sets itself apart from the rest of the collection with its elegant length and soft edges.
To Buy: Letty Set; $385, Clausina Set; $285
Sculptor, visual performer, and Roy Liechtenstein's muse, Letty informed the first asymmetrical set. These "earflares" are a play off of Lichtenstein's bright, oblong shapes. Lastly, Van Gogh's most passionate affair was with Clausina. Named for her influence on him and his own infamy, the Clausina set is the second and more strikingly asymmetrical one in the collection.
Exclusively sold on Net-a-Porter and in limited supply, the Nausheen Shah x Monica Sordo capsule collection is a movement in luxury jewelry production innovation and sustainability. Head to net-a-porter.com to be a part of this revolutionary moment in fashion.
