2025

fine silver, enamel, overglaze, vesuvianite, stainless steel piercings, leather

This bolo tie is one half of a pair that reimagines the orchid flower as a site of chosen pain, sensuality, and love.

Dilectio ("affection" or "love") softens into rounded, blue forms, embodying a fluid and tender love, like friendship or something deeper. The petals are pierced, referencing body modification practices as intimate rituals of self-claiming and preservation.

This piece was fully hand-fabricated from five layers of sheet metal, hammer-formed, enameled through multiple high-heat firings, and tube riveted together.

Traditionally a symbol of Western masculinity, the bolo tie has evolved into an androgynous form of adornment, allowing for fluid expressions of identity. By merging pierced, enameled orchids with this historically gendered accessory, the diptych explores dualities of empowerment and vulnerability.