WXYZ Jewelry

Grey Sheep

instagram.com/wxyzjewelry

Location

new york / united states

University

University of Pennsylvania

Contact

WXYZ Jewelry is designed and produced by Laura Wass in Brooklyn, NY.

After studying traditional goldsmithing techniques and jewelry design, Laura entered the jewelry industry working for Philip Crangi and Giles & Brother, where she managed product development for Philip's collaborations with brands such as Reed Krakoff, Coach and DVF. Laura went on to work for Metal Dynamics, a leading manufacturer in the luxury fashion industry. There she managed technical design of jewelry and handbag hardware for American and European brands, working directly with clients and factories abroad.

WXYZ creates sculpture for the body, inspired by science, art and math. Using our unique modular system, we build these structures through fractal repetition & sacred geometry. We focus on designing expressive accessories that communicate your inner power to the outside world. WXYZ fuses the rigorous and the playful, sparking interaction, conversation & magic.

After first soldering silver at the age of 13, Laura Wass was hooked and continued learning traditional Silver and Goldsmithing, going on to work in the fashion jewelry industry for cult favorite brands Philip Crangi / Giles & Brother, and then Metal Dynamics, a leading luxury brand manufacturer of jewelry, handbag hardware, and perfume bottles. After these fundamental experiences in the industry, Wass launched WXYZ in 2012.

Our studio is based in Brooklyn, in an old industrial wood factory, where we design, hand-make and weave all of our creations. We work with sustainable materials and innovative production techniques, with a focus on industrial design and manufacturing techniques. We also partner with local craftspeople and industrial factories to create the custom components used in our designs. To visit our studio and see the action, email us at [email protected], and subscribe to our mailing list for our next studio party.

Team WXYZ is made up of passionate creatives who love to bring empowering creations to the world. WXYZ’s muses are innovative critical thinkers: badass bosses who are not defined by their gender, age, location or occupation, but rather by their passion and individuality.

Latest Collection

Neon Collection - shot by Blessing Marie for Ladygunn

story / Tiffany Diane Tso
photos / Blessing Marie
model / Bree Smith
jewelry designer / Laura Wass
styling / Tiffani Williams
hair / Marcel Dagenais Using Oribe Hair Care
makeup / Stephanie Peterson @ Art Department using Makeup Forever
manicurist / Mei Kawajiri @ Nails by Mei

Jewelry designer Laura Wass walked up to her boss in 2011 and told him she wanted to move from technical to creative design, and his response ended up fulfilling much more than her initial request. “Why don’t we launch your brand?” she remembers him asking, sparking the birth of NYC-based jewelry brand WXYZ.
This was not a hand-out. Wass has worked toward this dream for a long time, laying down the groundwork, brick by brick, to make it achievable. From when she learned how to solder at 13 to training in industrial scale manufacturing at Metal Dynamics, WXYZ was built on knowledge, structure and an innate drive for success, as much as it was built on creativity and passion. From a meticulous and thoughtful mind sprung textural and geometric jewelry and accessories impossible to ignore.
Fast-forward to today, WXYZ pieces have been donned by queens, including Beyonce, Nicki Minaj and Erykah Badu. Regardless of whether or not you are a fan of math, Wass has devised a way to draw you in by “building structures through repeated elements.” Wass elaborates, “aesthetically, I wanted to create an alternative to the prominent aesthetic of the DIY and organic vibe that dominated jewelry design. I was designing strong shapes, based on mathematical structures ranging from biology to architecture.” Pairing metal with unconventional materials, such as rubber balls manufactured in a sex factory, each line has its own distinct pattern.

Debuting this season, The Neon Collection clearly wields the motif of sacred geometry patterns. “Bright and sweet like candy, but also so badass,” Wass describes, “the collection was designed with nightlife in mind, and it glows under a blacklight… I like to think of these pieces as externalizing one’s inner light.” Wass hopes to empower those who wear WXYZ to stand out from the crowd.