Radiolaria Necklace

Resembling lace or honeycomb, the seemingly random patterns are actually based on the single-celled aquatic creatures with a spiny skeleton of silica called Radiolarians. The shape abstractly evokes shifts in direction and scale, or the sense of movement and tension. Part of the unequaled collection by Nervous System, the studio, established in 2007 by Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg. The duo met at MIT when she was gaining her degrees in Architecture and Biology, and he was majoring in mathematics. Jessica continued her studies at the Harvard Grad School of Design, while Jesse consulted in building modeling and design automation for Gehry Technologies. Together they now live near a stream in western Massachusetts, where they create their scientifically inspired jewelry using sound and ethical manufacturing: Among other mandates, the rapid prototyping methods allow for unique pieces at the same cost as mass and without the large facilities or massive manual labor.