Don’t you love a happy accident? Penicillin, cornflakes—just two examples of oopsies that have become staples of our everyday existence.
I myself have made a few mistakes for the better, most memorably messing up the order of ingredients for my secret family spaghetti Bolognese recipe—not quite on the same level as a lifesaving medication, but we all have our own personal triumphs.
Designer Mia Hebib of the New York–based Oblik Atelier has a misstep-turned-masterpiece of her own. “It actually started as a different design,” says Hebib, pointing me to her Serpens III design, a gorgeously fluid collar necklace that’s sculptural in gold-plated brass. “I was making this necklace, but because I fabricate each piece and this is a 3 mm thick wire, the wire didn’t bend smoothly and I got frustrated and started looping almost maniacally.
“I was on the phone with my father—he’s a painter—deciding whether I should finish it when he suggested closing off one of the open areas to break up the line. So it became this.”
She named it the Dad-a necklace, and it’s a one-of-a-kind work of art. “You can only screw up this good once,” the designer says. Made of brass and finished in 14k yellow gold plating, the piece is light to wear and matches the sculptural sterling silver styles that are becoming popular once again among both creators and consumers.
Collar necklaces are also again rising in popularity, and this one is a statement piece that should be worn often and with much enthusiasm. “I like to wear it directly on the body with open shirts, but I also really love it over monochromatic clothing so the gold plays against it,” Hebib says.
The necklace was on display at the Spring Craft Morristown in New Jersey last weekend, an event dedicated to unique creations.
Top: Dad-a necklace in 14k gold-plated brass, $975; Oblik Atelier
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