Wearable
Art
Jewelry
Style Crone · Advanced Style
Wearable Art Jewelry
One-of-a-kind, sculptural statement jewelry, handmade in my Denver studio and photographed on the woman who wears everything like art: Style Crone.
The woman these were made for
This collection began with a shoot. I brought my boldest, most sculptural pieces to Judith Boyd, the Denver blogger and psychiatric nurse who dresses under the name Style Crone. She is known for her signature hats and her eclectic, vintage-forward looks, and for the way she has turned getting dressed into a daily art form. She reclaims the word "crone," a word most people flinch at, as a symbol of wisdom, power, and self-actualization, and she has long used fashion as a tool for healing, for moving through grief, and for celebrating age rather than apologizing for it.
Judith is also one of the most recognizable muses of Advanced Style, the movement, blog, and documentary created by photographer Ari Seth Cohen. Cohen began by photographing the most creative, vividly dressed older people he found on the streets of New York, and Advanced Style grew into something close to a revolution: proof that sartorial daring, vitality, and creativity do not expire with age, and a direct challenge to an industry that too often renders older women invisible. Style Crone is one of its brightest faces.
That is exactly the woman I make wearable art jewelry for. These are not delicate pieces that disappear into an outfit. They ask for a certain amount of nerve, and in my experience that nerve tends to arrive with age rather than before it. They are made for the woman with decades of knowing exactly what she likes, who dresses for herself, and who has no intention of becoming invisible simply because the fashion world expects her to. Style, like a good stone, only deepens with time. More than anything, that is why I make them: to give older women one more bold, joyful way to express themselves creatively through their style and their jewelry.
The creative alter-ego of Denver blogger and psychiatric nurse Judith Boyd, who reclaims the word "crone" as wisdom and wears fashion as a tool for healing, grief, and celebrating age.
Photographer Ari Seth Cohen's cultural movement, blog, and documentary celebrating the sartorial creativity and vitality of older adults, of which Style Crone is one of the most recognizable muses.
My boldest, most sculptural work, each piece one-of-a-kind and made to be worn as art rather than accessory, for the woman who has grown into her boldness and dresses entirely for herself.
The Lookbook
Style Crone, in my boldest pieces.
At the bench
Wearable art jewelry is the boldest, most sculptural work I make. These are the pieces where I let a design grow as large and architectural as it wants to be, clustering gemstones, pearls, and reclaimed vintage elements into forms that read as sculpture more than accessory. I fabricate and assemble each one by hand, and on the back you will often find the Weave, the woven wire matrix I use to hold everything together, which is as much a signature as the front. Some elements are cast from hot wax dripped into water; stones that cannot take heat are set cold, wired rather than soldered; and stock chains get reworked until nothing looks bought. Every piece is one-of-a-kind, built once and never repeated, which is exactly why they suit a woman who refuses to look like anyone else.
Pieces from $185
The Pieces
Each one one-of-a-kind. When it sells, it is gone.
For the woman who leads with presence
Wearable Art Necklaces
A wearable art necklace is the boldest thing you can put on, a sculptural centerpiece that sits at the throat and makes the rest of an outfit answer to it. These are for the woman who wants the eye to land on her, who has never minded being looked at, and who treats a necklace as the whole point rather than a finishing touch.
For the woman who wants art at eye level
Wearable Art Earrings
Wearable art earrings work at eye level, framing the face and catching the light with every turn of the head. Long, sculptural, and unafraid of scale, they are for the woman who wants her art where the conversation happens, and who knows the right pair does more for a face than anything sold in a jar.
For the woman who talks with her hands
Wearable Art Bracelets & Cuffs
A wearable art bracelet or cuff lives in your own eyeline all day, on the hands that gesture, make, and hold. Substantial and sculptural, built to be noticed across a table, these are for the woman who talks with her hands and wants a real piece of art on them, worn as much for herself as for anyone else.
Questions
What is wearable art jewelry?
Wearable art jewelry is jewelry made to be worn as art rather than as an afterthought. In my studio it means the boldest, most sculptural pieces I make, each one one-of-a-kind, built to be the point of an outfit rather than a footnote to it.
Who is Style Crone?
Style Crone is the name Denver blogger and psychiatric nurse Judith Boyd dresses under. She reclaims the word "crone" as wisdom and self-actualization, uses fashion as a tool for healing and celebrating age, and is one of the most recognizable muses of Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style movement. I photographed this collection on her.
Are these pieces one-of-a-kind?
Yes. Each piece is fabricated and assembled by hand in my Denver studio, built once, and never reproduced. When one sells, it is gone.
How do I care for and store these pieces?
Store each piece flat and separately so the clusters and chains do not tangle or scratch, keep them away from perfume and lotion, and wipe them with a soft cloth. These are sculptural, one-of-a-kind pieces, so handle them gently and lay them down rather than dropping them in a dish.
How do you wear a wearable art piece?
Let it be the point of the outfit. These are made to be the first thing someone notices, so keep the rest simple and let one bold, sculptural piece carry the look, the way Style Crone does.
What do they cost, and can I commission one?
Pieces start at $185 and rise into the larger signature statement pieces. Because each is one-of-a-kind, if the one you love has already sold I am glad to discuss a commission in the same spirit. Just reach out.
Find your piece
Not sure where to start? The style quiz points you to the pieces most likely to feel like yours.
Explore more: Eclectic Jewelry · Seashell Jewelry
This one-of-a-kind vintage gemstone Betelgeuse necklace is handmade by Andrea Li: a gunmetal watch band vintage chain with labradorite and mystic topaz rondelle details, finished with light blue hydro quartz nugget briolettes, vintage upcycled components, sterling silver wire, and beetle wing accents throughout. A gemstone cluster tassel drops from the front, combining sterling silver, beetle wings, labradorite, lemon topaz, vintage components, apatite, mystic topaz, peridot, watermelon tourmaline, bio-lemon topaz, green amethyst, swiss blue topaz, crystal shards, and blue zirconia.
The beetle wings are the detail people ask about first. Iridescent, structurally colored the way a labradorite flash is, they shift from green to copper to blue depending on the light hitting them. Andrea works with vintage and upcycled components to weave natural curiosities into wearable jewelry, and this piece layers that sensibility across its full 37 inches: a gunmetal chain running from the clasp, light blue hydro quartz nugget briolettes finishing the ends, and a mixed gemstone cluster pendant drop at 3½ inches, with tassels measuring 7 and 6 inches. No manufactured version of this exists.
The hydro quartz briolette nuggets are cold-connected, never heat-set. A briolette is drilled through its narrowest point, which is exactly where the stone is most brittle, so I wire each one by hand so the connection seats securely without stress on the stone. That discipline runs through the whole piece: every gemstone link in the cluster is assembled with wire and never with heat.
One of a kind, built once and never replicated. When it sells, it’s gone. Explore more in the Style Crone collection.
• Style Crone collection
Andrea Li Designs - Jewelry As Unique As You Are
Product Specs:
• Gunmetal watch band vintage chain with labradorite and mystic topaz rondelle details, finished with light blue hydro quartz nugget briolettes
• Vintage upcycled components
• Sterling silver wire
• Beetle wing accents throughout
• Gemstone clusters made of sterling silver, beetle wings, labradorite, lemon topaz, vintage components, apatite, mystic topaz, peridot, watermelon tourmaline, bio-lemon topaz, green amethyst, swiss blue topaz, crystal shards and blue zirconia
• Front beetle wing pendant drop length 3 1/2’’
• Necklace length to the back clasp 24’’
• Tassel lengths 7’’ and 6’’
• Necklace total length 37’’