N°181 Christmas 2025 Special Set

For the love of butcher birds.

This set is one of my personal favourites—proof of the magic that only black and white can create. It’s also a quiet tribute to the four butcher birds across three generations who visit my studio almost every day. With colour stripped away, the eye leans into texture, silhouette, and pattern, letting the stones speak through form rather than hue.

The necklace is an eclectic composition of monochrome elements, but one piece deserves special mention: the long white Dentalium shell, once worn in the ceremonial adornments of the Sioux and Lakota peoples. I brought these shells back from the US in 2004, during my years as a working scientist giving a conference talk—so this set carries its own small piece of personal history.

Versatility is its secret strength. Wear it long for drama or shorten it for a crisp, contemporary look. Black and white never dates, so this is a piece that will live in your wardrobe indefinitely. Aa gold-elements are 22k gold-plated and come from Istanbul.

The statement earrings are crafted in meticulous intarsia, combining onyx, hematite, and mother-of-pearl in a vertical inlay that echoes the soft banding of the butcher bird’s plumage (7.2cm long). A single pearl sits above each disc for organic balance, grounded by a tiny onyx bead and framed in warm 22k gold plate. A second, smaller pair—onyx and pearl on sleek French ear wires—offers an effortless option for days when subtlety is the mood.

Timeless. Adaptable. Quietly striking. A monochrome set with soul.