Mag・net・ic by Akiko Oue
These earrings by Japanese jewellery designer Akiko Oue can be added to and reconfigured since they're made up of tiny magnetic circles.
The Mag・net・ic jewellery comprises a pair of silver studs with a magnetic base and packs of coloured dots to build up in clusters.
"In pictures the earrings may look a little fragile but they are actually quite strong," says Akiko Oue. "The dots are light enough that they generally won't come loose and fall off in everyday wear. I'd recommend taking them out for sports or swimming, though."
A similar concept was presented by NOSIGNER, also from Japan, back in 2010. That project incorporated magnets in artificial pearls and you can see our story here.
Here are some more details from Akiko Oue:
While making jewelry I often work with small pieces of silver and other metal, pieces that I often drop and have to pick up.
One day, while picking up some pieces, I got the idea that it might be fun to make a piece of jewelry that people could assemble themselves by picking up small pieces of steel with a magnet.
So, I came up with a set that I call 'mag・net・ic'.
Each set includes 2 pierced earrings that are made of silver with a magnet on the base.
There are also 12 coloured dots that can be attached to the base.
There are a further six magnetic dots that people can use to attach larger numbers of the coloured steel dots.