"Ash necklace"

Emanuela Duca

"I aim in all my work to blur the line between solid and liquid form. Playing with light, shape, and movement the way water does: sometimes appearing still and dark and, at other times, fluid and light."

Emanuela Duca, a jewelry designer based in New York City, was born in Rome, Italy. Her earliest memories are of staring at the Mediterranean, terrified of the water's violence yet irresistibly drawn to its beauty. It is a tension--and an indelible image--that resonates throughout all of her designs today.

"My most recent work evolves the notion of movement in solid form and how it pertains to my Roman experience." says Duca, "But instead of water, I explore more earth-bound elements, reviving archaic forms and re-interpreting them with a modern sensibility. "

Sculpted in wax, then forged and constructed in sterling silver, the individual forms are shaped and manipulated through folding, hammering, and piercing. The resulting surfaces are highly textured, with surfaces evocative of volcanic ash and the ancient ruins of Duca's native Rome. Yet their shape and combination is clean, simple, and minimal. Just the kind of contrast she aims to achieve in all her work.