Chicago - January 09, 2006

Family Jewels

Sonya Ooten Jewelry

Conventional wisdom says kids these days don’t respect their elders.

Rubbish. Round these parts, we happen to hold little old ladies in very high regard.

Without them, there’d be no mayonnaise-based dips to devour, family secrets to uncover, or vintage frocks to inherit. As for those crochet toilet paper covers (the ones with a Barbie plopped in the middle of a ball gown), those we could do without.

But Granny was onto something when she picked up her hooks. It just took Sonya Ooten to figure it out. The L.A.-based jewelry designer spins gold into heirloom-worthy treasures using the old world art of crochet (which she learned from her own grandma).

Ooten mixes 14-karat gold with gemstones (labradorite, garnet, and tourmaline) to create pendants, drops, and earrings that resemble anything but Nana’s potholders. Our favorite are the impossibly light doily drop earrings — an ode to another thing that grannies are good for.

As for what doilies are good for, well, that’s an excellent question.

Available at Lille, 1923 West North Avenue, between Damen and Wolcott Avenues (773-342-0563 or lilleashop.com). Barneys New York, 25 East Oak Street, at Rush Street (312-587-1700).