Cady Carlson Necklace

THE STORY BEHIND THE DESIGN
This piece was inspired by the MJSA Responsibly Sourced Design Challenge Story

As I was pulling together my notes for the project, I started thinking about what Lorna’s life has been like. She grew up in California during the 1960s and had activist parents. She seems like she would have been a bit rock ’n’ roll in her younger days, which makes me think she would appreciate a modern looking piece.

I also thought about the connection between Lorna and Jackie and I wanted to express their shared family history with the stones. The idea of family connections made me think of the double helix shape of DNA. I didn’t want to literally create that shape but instead create something inspired by it with the stones.

I settled on a necklace design that I felt Lorna could wear in her day-to-day life. Instead of referencing Lorna’s love for the past, I created a modern bolo, where the stones, like Lorna and Jackie, come together in the center. Set in thick prongs that are faceted to match, the stones are arranged on a chain with silver facets on the ends. I also added a few enameled bezel accents along the chain for some additional color and interest. It’s an elegant piece that could be worn to work or charity functions but also casual enough for daily wear.

Cady Carlson Dill is the owner of Cady Carlson Designs in Tulsa, Oklahoma.