Bright, glittery jewelry always makes a serious impression. But when a piece is made of an unusual material like silicone, it's bound to get even more compliments and comments. Such is the life of an Ek Thongprasert necklace, which has the best of both worlds—beautiful, light-catching crystals atop silky, matte silicone.
Why silicone? "Silicone lets me mix the colors I want, and I love the combination of silicone and cubic zirconia [crystals]," said Ek, the Antwerp based designer behind the eponymous brand. "Silicone has a unique visual effect, and when mixed with formal stones reinterprets jewelry as an innovative artform."
Ek is a solo artist, which makes his crystalline gummy jewels all the more impressive. Born in Thailand, Ek moved to Antwerp to attend the Royal Academy of Arts, where he studied fashion design. "Since the beginning, I've been designing by myself," Ek explained. "And when I did my first showing in Paris I got a huge, positive response from press and buyers, which inspired me to continue creating jewelry."
His first collection featured simple, one-piece necklaces from a mold inspired by vintage baubles. But his new line has quickly blossomed into complex, stunning custom jewels. Each part of the necklaces are made separately: stones are cut and set and silicone is molded, then each bit is attached to create the sparkly, layered necklaces.
Pulling inspiration from galleries and flea markets, Ek's jewelry is both forward-thinking and classic. And its design also emphasizes contrasts, with dark-hued silicone making light-stones shine brightly, and vice versa. "The main inspiration [for the current collection] is the atmosphere of a metropolis, especially automobiles, which I used to illustrate the metallic textures and colors," he said.
Much like a sprawling urban space, Ek is looking to expand his line further. Watch for an Ek Thongprasert bag in summer 2015, which Ek says will introduce a new way to interpret the meaning of the "bag." Until then, he's giving new meaning to the phrase "dripping in jewels" with his gummy line.
Shop all Ek Thongprasert here.
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AVONDALE NECKLACE in pea coat blue/black
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Queen Necklace in caviar/amethyst![]()
Micha Necklace in pink/green![]()
Edgewater Neckalce in soothing sea/black![]()
Dasha Neckl
Why silicone? "Silicone lets me mix the colors I want, and I love the combination of silicone and cubic zirconia [crystals]," said Ek, the Antwerp based designer behind the eponymous brand. "Silicone has a unique visual effect, and when mixed with formal stones reinterprets jewelry as an innovative artform."
Ek is a solo artist, which makes his crystalline gummy jewels all the more impressive. Born in Thailand, Ek moved to Antwerp to attend the Royal Academy of Arts, where he studied fashion design. "Since the beginning, I've been designing by myself," Ek explained. "And when I did my first showing in Paris I got a huge, positive response from press and buyers, which inspired me to continue creating jewelry."
His first collection featured simple, one-piece necklaces from a mold inspired by vintage baubles. But his new line has quickly blossomed into complex, stunning custom jewels. Each part of the necklaces are made separately: stones are cut and set and silicone is molded, then each bit is attached to create the sparkly, layered necklaces.
Pulling inspiration from galleries and flea markets, Ek's jewelry is both forward-thinking and classic. And its design also emphasizes contrasts, with dark-hued silicone making light-stones shine brightly, and vice versa. "The main inspiration [for the current collection] is the atmosphere of a metropolis, especially automobiles, which I used to illustrate the metallic textures and colors," he said.
Much like a sprawling urban space, Ek is looking to expand his line further. Watch for an Ek Thongprasert bag in summer 2015, which Ek says will introduce a new way to interpret the meaning of the "bag." Until then, he's giving new meaning to the phrase "dripping in jewels" with his gummy line.
Shop all Ek Thongprasert here.
AVONDALE NECKLACE in pea coat blue/black
Queen Necklace in caviar/amethyst
Micha Necklace in pink/green
Edgewater Neckalce in soothing sea/black
Dasha Neckl