There aren't too many of us who can say that we knew what we wanted to do with our lives from childhood. Eugenie Huang (pictured left) of emerging accessories line Deka Ray holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture, but from the time she was only eight years old the precocious talent has been designing strange, one-of-a-kind jewelery that catches the eye.

It was a book about famed sculptor Alexander Calder that first inspired Huang to play with wire, crafting earrings instead of doing her homework. While she pursued a full-time career in architecture, the same obsession with shape, material and form that drove her professional studies also informed her inventive jewelry designs; the resulting styles gently toe the line between statement pieces and over-the-top ornaments: "I appreciate constraint. You can play around with the design, but ultimately the pieces have to relate to your body."

According to Huang, the playful, laser-cut wood jewelry in her most recent collection, "Outland," was inspired by the rural North Carolina woods where she grew up, British director Ken Russell's era films, art nouveau and Syd Mead, a designer who created the vehicles in Sci-Fi flicks like "Blade Runner" and "Aliens." Equally stunning, but slightly more subtle, are the precious metal pieces found in her "Multiply" collection; stack the 10-karat yellow gold arrow rings to create an otherworldly look sure to pierce any style maven's heart.

And think: There's no need to worry about pieces being ahead of the curve when they were inspired by the future!

Deka Ray is available at Carol Young Undesigned Boutique, 1953 1/2 Hillhurst Avenue, (323) 663-0088.

- Caroline Stanley

Similar Topics:accessories, fashion, Fresh Faces 2008

comments (0) : Send to a Friend : Subscribe

:  digg this :  del.icio.us! :