These conceptual drop earrings are about how value is assigned — not because of what something is, but because of how it’s positioned and compared to something else. When I was creating this tiered design in sterling silver, I was thinking about the truth of our value as individuals, and how much-needed connection can so easily morph into controlling comparison. We are fabricating hierarchy. It’s designed — not real.
 
Each bar is made from solid recycled sterling silver, with a different texture: rough hammer, tiny hammer, and ball burr cut. The differences are visible, but they aren’t hierarchical - not until you stack them. 
 
And here, they are: arranged vertically like a graph - in an order - implying progress, refinement, or status. But that’s the point - the implication. The materials are the same it's the value that is fabricated.
 
The gold catches your eye first, but it’s only plating. A surface finish, not solid, not structural. It appears important but that assertion only appears to carry more importance than the individual elements that actually form the structure. Just like the way the bars are fixed off-centre. Not only does it break symmetry, but it makes the earrings twist slightly when worn. The whole structure shifts. The piece resists sitting still. Even this constructed “system” can’t quite stay in formation.
The overall effect is clean, deliberate, and unsettling in a quiet way - a system that looks right at first glance but doesn't hold when you stop to question it.
 
All three bars are made from the same silver, and each has its own worth - its own role in the whole. What holds them together comes from within. True connection isn’t something added or elevated. It’s not gold. It’s not status. It’s what’s already there, underneath. And what often looks grander at first glance rarely holds up when you look more closely.