Spirals, twists and zigzags - Oh my!

A new collection from one of our favourite jewelry designers has just arrived and oh boy am I excited to tell the world about it!

First off, let me tell you how it all begins. In the words of Carl Sagan, "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

Maybe we don't need to go that far back, but hk+np have a really interesting story. Hiroko Kobayashi (hk) and (+) Neil Prakash (np) met in 2005 while apprenticing in Vancouver at the office of Nick Milkovich Architects Inc. Hiroko graduated from the architectural program at Nihon University in Tokyo which she followed with an internship in the office of Kengo Kuma & Associates Architects. Neil is a registered architect with the Architectural Institute of British Columbia and a graduate of the architectural program at the University of Manitoba. The two fell in love and eventually, into business together.

hk+np, an architectural jewelry design studio, pulls inspiration from the same principles that influence their architecture.

"Architecture for us is about the dignified composition of material, light, space, and rhythm. Our jewelry is an attempt to express and explore these elements in silver. We strive to create pieces that are understated and timeless. We emphasize design integrity and exemplary hand crafted quality as integral aspects to our work."

Each piece is made from .925 sterling silver, and each series of jewelry they produce focuses on minimalist and classic forms. To top it off, the seem to breathe poetry into everything they do, as seen in this blog post about their Infinity series.

"As a happy coincidence, both of our mother’s were born on the same day. We designed the infinity pendant to mark the occasion this year. The idea for the infinity series arose while gazing over English Bay towards the horizon. For us, the horizon extends beyond the bounds of our imagination, as limitless as the night sky. At night, over these waters, the moon peaks out from behind the city to illuminate the bay. All of the phases on full display replacing the memories of the lunar calendar that hung on Hiroko’s wall when she was little. While the idea of infinity arrives through our imagination of places beyond the horizon, the lunar series unites the present with our reflections on remembered things."

We can't contain our fondness of this couple's work. They have an amazing attention to detail that begins with multiple models of each potential piece, before finally sending the final decision to a small metal-working business in Niigata, Japan. Niigata is known for their exceptional metal work and the craftsmen that create their jewelry are no exception. All of their jewelry is hand cast and finished to perfection.

We currently have select stock from their Infinity, Lunar, Q, Twist and Zig Zag series as well as their newest collection - Spiral. They offer three different finishes in certain pieces: Mirror (polished, high gloss), Matte (honed, non-reflective, micro-bead blast application), and scratch (satina, texturing technique consisting of a series of tiny parallel lines). These pieces are truly works of art and a timeless addition to anyone's jewelry collection.

-Lauren