A Personal Name as Wearable Form

Typography, Sculpture, and Identity in Jewellery

May 2020
18k Gold, Emeralds

The Question

How can a personal name be transformed into a sculptural jewellery form that carries identity beyond written language?

The client asked me to design a pendant incorporating the name Mehrnoosh. During our conversations, she repeatedly spoke about femininity, grace, and inner strength. Rather than treating the name as lettering alone, I transformed its calligraphic structure into a sculptural female figure, allowing typography and form to merge into a single visual language.

18k gold sculptural pendant with emeralds, transforming the name Mehrnoosh into wearable form, designed by Mehdi Valiee

Searching for Form

Several colour variations were digitally developed in Matrix to explore different combinations of gold alloys and gemstones. Through continuous dialogue, the client selected yellow gold with emeralds as the final composition. The project progressed through CAD modelling, resin prototyping, casting, stone setting, and hand finishing before being delivered to California.

Material Translation

This project demonstrates how jewellery can carry identity beyond written language. A personal name became a sculptural form, allowing meaning to emerge not only through reading, but also through shape, movement, and material presence.

Reflection

The work investigated the relationship between typography, sculpture, and jewellery. By translating a name into a figurative structure, the pendant became both a personal identifier and a symbolic object — extending the inquiry into how contemporary jewellery can hold identity through form rather than inscription alone.

Documentation

The project is documented through concept drawings, digital modelling, material studies, gemstone selection, and the finished pendant.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.