From claw-shaped rings to bejewelled chin cuffs—jewellery inspired by armour is cool again

Also inspired by Schiaparelli’s artistic director, Daniel Roseberry, is recent Istituto Marangoni graduate Charu Bhasin. Her latest collection, Orphic, brings the art of metal casting to chunky bangles, cuffs, rings, corsets, even a waist-cuff resembling a human arm. “It’s about the idea that everything in the cosmos is so apt that you can’t deny that question of a greater power,” says the Indore-origin designer. She’s now toying with the idea of “mutation between different species” for a collection that’ll explore more sustainable materials.

“What can be better than nature protecting you?” asks Delhi-based designer Sonika Bansal, who has been turning foraged wood into metal-encased trinkets. Neti Neti brings its own spin to the idea of wearable art, and both India Art Fair and Milan Fashion Week have come calling. While she works with ebony and teak as well, driftwood is special because it “has no fixed shape, no mandate on how it’s supposed to look. Some of the driftwood pieces are so ugly, in fact, they might as well be ‘nazar battu’,” she laughs.

The deeper you dig, the longer the trench seems to grow. In London, Sweet Lime Juice is hooking precious stones to spiky silver chains. Shaun Leane is wrapping our throats, wrists and arms in rose thorn vines. Bhavya Ramesh’s traditional Indian trinkets get witchier with each new collection, while Naaz Bijouteries’ waist chains have their own cult following, including Tyla and Sanya Malhotra.

What is anchoring this subculture? It might be the mainstreaming of the punk aesthetic, says Malakai, but there might be another, more fourth-wave feminist hook. Met Art’s 2018 book Jewellery: The Body Transformed states that jewellery has, through history, been defined “primarily through its connection to and interaction with the body—extending it, amplifying it, distorting it or transforming it.” In this contemporary moment, Naaz Bijouteries’ founder Richa Chandok, who likes to “add a bit of sexiness” to all her designs, says: “It’s also about owning it.”

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