British-Italian jewellery designer Sarah Ysabel Narici brings a futuristic frisson to her New York brand Dyne. This year saw her launch its first contemporary jewellery collection, which encompasses sinuous forms and cabochon-cut precious stones in vivid blues and greens.
‘My design is bold, sometimes dramatic, with a focus on detailed craftsmanship,’ says Narici. ‘I like combining fluid shapes and juxtaposing them with precise, structured ones. This not only applies to the form of the metals, but also to the cuts of stones I use. Mixing colours and textures is increasingly important for me. I like blending the large watery surfaces of transparent stones with the rough, glittering textures of small ones, which are punctuated by metal prongs. The way in which light interacts with all these surfaces is very appealing.’
Creating this particular feel was not without its challenges. 'Some of these pieces were very challenging,' Narici agrees. 'Lapidary is risky and some softer stones, like emeralds, have a very high breakage rate. As a process, it can be very archaic. These stones were not machine cut by special softwares, but by a human hand on a lathe using the naked eye. I favour scale so sometimes balancing aesthetics with practicalities such as weight can be challenging, particularly for earrings.
‘There is one particular earring which is made from both titanium and white gold. It has many tiny components per piece, which are carefully engineered to fit together. Crafting the hinges was particularly challenging and required multiple attempts as the tolerances were so small. Working with the human body as a canvas is challenging because everyone is shaped differently. Custom jewellery is special because it allows you to tailor it to a unique ear or neckline.'
A version of this article appears in the January 2025 issue of Wallpaper* , available in print on international newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
