Offbeat forms meet precious materials in Ana Khouri’s high jewellery

Jewellery designer Ana Khouri was named earlier this month as one of the Wallpaper* USA 300, a celebration of creative America that appeared in the August 2023 ‘Made in the USA’ issue of Wallpaper* (on sale now). Here, we discover her distinctive aesthetic.

An emphasis on offbeat placements and unexpected silhouettes means Ana Khouri has long brought a subversive sensuality to jewellery. Her pieces rethink traditional forms, whether balancing precious stones on thick golden bands or winding rainbows of stones up the ear in a playful reinterpretation of classic codes.

Now, Khouri builds on this heritage with her latest high jewellery collection, crafted solely from sustainably and ethically sourced materials. ‘Purifying the work to its primary shapes; oval forms symbolising the feminine,’ Khouri notes on her aesthetic. ‘Connecting these shapes to the most fundamental links necessary for each piece to thrive. The links we are referring to here, are significant gemstones. Together they form a work that is higher than their connection; they create an elevated world in and of itself.’

Khouri draws on recent time spent in the Amazon rainforest in jewellery that marries ancient traditions with a modern form. ‘My work conveys my feelings, my thoughts, my past, my goals for the future, every part of me that makes up my life,’ she adds. ‘When exhibiting, I share that with everyone who sees my work. Creating another kind of link, a special connection with the viewer. In order to share my work, I must allow myself to be vulnerable, to be open to exchange. People’s experience of the work creates a link that allows me to learn more about myself and my work than anything else. Working on this exhibition is a process of perfecting my art. The final link is connected through your experience of the work and my experience of our connection.’