Final Work
Sep 2021
De Beers - Black is Brilliant
An heirloom quality jewelry suite, inspired by the spirit of international cooperation
Story
To address the collaboration's narrative goals, I reflected on the international range of Black creators that were bringing the project to life; from the miners in Botswana, to me the designer, and my stylist collaborators, Wayman and Micah.
Goal
Object
A suite of jewels, 3 rings and one pair of earrings, using Botswana mined Diamonds. The pieces incorporate iconic Black power fists, and KHIRY's signature Khartoum Silhouette as symbols of international cooperation in the diaspora. The pieces' globe forms evoke the breadth and scale of the Global community.
Outcomes
The pieces were worn to the 2021 Met Gala, and featured in British Vogue.
Final Work
Inspiration research, emphasized a triumphant mood referencing iconic 60's and 70's moments of Black cooperation on an international scale
I prepared several evening-ready options, referencing symbols including the Sankofa Bird, the Back Power Fist, and The Globe
The stylist team , De Beers and I selected the Globe Drop earrings and a set of 3 rings as the final styles to produced. I then created 3D models for the styles using Rhino 3D . The pieces were designed to fit a pre selected lot of stones, provided by the brand, so I allocated the stones and tweaked the final designs for each item to use the lot optimally. The Khartoum silhouette was used twice in the pieces, as the monogram in globe form, and as the bezels setting the stones in the earrings and rings.
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I used Keyshot to create photo realistic renderings in specific materials to demonstrate how the final pieces would look to the brand and stylist team. The initial options were simpler, pairing Black Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) PVD with 18k Yellow and White Gold.
The final suite featured a more varied colorway for the earrings, at the insistence of the stylist team, to make the pieces even more memorable and eye catching, to stand out on the red carpet. Final renderings were completed in Keyshot.
Process
Inspiration research, emphasized a triumphant mood referencing iconic 60's and 70's moments of Black cooperation on an international scale
I prepared several evening-ready options, referencing symbols including the Sankofa Bird, the Back Power Fist, and The Globe
The stylist team , De Beers and I selected the Globe Drop earrings and a set of 3 rings as the final styles to produced. I then created 3D models for the styles using Rhino 3D . The pieces were designed to fit a pre selected lot of stones, provided by the brand, so I allocated the stones and tweaked the final designs for each item to use the lot optimally. The Khartoum silhouette was used twice in the pieces, as the monogram in globe form, and as the bezels setting the stones in the earrings and rings.
I used Keyshot to create photo realistic renderings in specific materials to demonstrate how the final pieces would look to the brand and stylist team. The initial options were simpler, pairing Black Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) PVD with 18k Yellow and White Gold.
The final suite featured a more varied colorway for the earrings, at the insistence of the stylist team, to make the pieces even more memorable and eye catching, to stand out on the red carpet. Final renderings were completed in Keyshot.
