The Anatomy of The Barbed Wire Cuban Link Necklace
The Barbed Wire Cuban Link Necklace is a true representation of the Statement Jewelry aesthetic. This is a piece we worked on through multiple variations and samples until we had the right version. We'll take you through a few key points that make this statement chain what it is.
Concept- The concept of the piece was to create a barbed wire necklace that wasn't simply joined with wire or rope but was blended into a necklace chain. From the first draft we knew we wanted to join it with cuban links but did plan to test with some other chain links to ensure we chose the best option.
Engineering- Once we had designed the barbed wire pendants we had to find a way to attach them in between the interlocking pattern of a cuban link chain while still keeping the structure and natural movement of the chain. Because cuban links are twisted with a groove in them that enables the links to stay flat when connected we needed an attachment that wouldn't cause the chain to gradually twist. In the end we molded half a cuban link on the outer sides of each barbed wire link so that they could seamlessly slot into the chain pattern. The assembly of the necklace requires that the barbed wire links are inserted by hand every 5 links.
Balance- Once the concept and engineering we solid we needed to balance the overall look and make the barbed wire links the standout feature when looking at the necklace and have the cuban links supporting the look without drawing the most attention. The answer to this was to have the barbed wire links be wider than the chain so we opted for a 9mm cuban chain to contrast the 12mm barbed wire links.
