renana sofia models crustations jewelry from insect exoskeletons

renana sofia models crustations jewelry from insect exoskeletons
all images courtesy of renana sofia

insects, the most common group of animals on the planet, represent more than half of all known living organisms. nonetheless, they are complete mysteries to most of us. a curious eye can take a closer look at their structures using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and will discover wonderful alien-like aesthetics from this diverse group. the peculiar body parts including the head, thorax, and abdomen have developed due to their function, habitat, and the sustainability of their kind. designer renana sofia has used her fascination with the bug form and her motivation for creating a human exoskeleton as the point of departure for ‘crustations’, a jewelry collection created during her time at shenkar college of engineering and design.

the jewelry was made to grow with and fit the human body in a tangential manner

each piece was created using a mix of advanced computer software programs along with artisanal techniques. they were made from sterling and german silver, brass, and heat shrink. the heat shrink was warmed over handmade metal parts and was utilized strategically and functionally throughout the series. the jewelry is intended to grow with and fit the human shape in a tangential manner, thus creating a new symmetry that both derives from and supersedes the frame.

3D metal foundations were created as a base for the heat shrink tubes

within the collection, there are structural pieces that manifest as hollow stumps of missing limbs. they are derived from a thin sheet of two-dimensional metal and were hand-forged and sculpted. other pieces include the sophisticated, malleable links that mold to the body. these systems were modeled in rhinoceros, printed, and then duplicated. the chains were developed following sofia’s personal obsession with creating innovative geometries – each individual component connects on two axis, creating a flexible metal sheet that can be draped and manipulated allowing for further design innovation.

(left) units connect to create a two-dimensional flexible sheet
(right) the flexible links are based on insect’s compound eyes

heat shrink was used to add color and placed in functional positions

the decreasing sized units stress the organic feel of the necklace

the necklace assumes shapes seen throughout nature

the links are joined to create new forms and patterns

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.