Online - April 27, 2009

Wear-and-Tear It Well

Wear-and-Tear Jewelry Debuts

You always preferred Mr. Messy over Mr. Perfect and Little Miss Naughty over Little Miss Neat. (Pedophiliac tendencies aside, Mr. Tickle also seemed like a hoot.)

Designer Cheung Lik must have shared the sentiment. Her edgy new jewelry line, Wear-and-Tear, prizes artful dishevelment over polished put-togetherness.

Using unexpected materials like silk origami and tape, Lik’s pieces vary wildly but share a certain sense of wabi-sabi. In the Squeezed Chains collection, a scrunched-up gold chain and leather bracelet winds lazily around your wrist; Crochet Mix gets sculptural with a half moon brass pendant hugged by a border of crocheted yarn.

Simply put, it’s the kind of jewelry that starts conversations. And, refreshingly, not a single piece costs more than $100.

Making you feel like Little Miss Sunshine.

Available online at starsandinfinitedarkness.com. To see styles, go to wear-and-tear.com.

  Avant-Garde, Indie