Tariq Riaz may be showcasing as a Rising Star in the Design Collective neighborhood at JCK Las Vegas this year—a section devoted to creators who have launched their businesses within the last five years—but he is no stranger to a fan following and has acquired a string of recent industry accolades. The designer, based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and New York, has a background in robotics and design, evidence of which can be seen in his jewelry. Many of his pieces are complicated in a way that’s enviable; it’s like you look at one and think, What must it take to actually create something like that? Talent and patience certainly must be among one’s traits, and a good imagination too.
Our own Victoria Gomelsky did a short profile on Riaz in her “5 New Collections to Discover at JCK Las Vegas Next Month,” a preview of some really gorgeous lines set to make their showing in just a matter of days now. It features some of the designer’s intricate works as well as details on his abrazo philosophy, with some information on what to expect when the jeweler exhibits in Las Vegas.
There is one piece that I couldn’t resist making a Britt’s Pick, the running virtual wish list of mine that chronicles my favorite pieces over the years, often priced out of my range but worthy of dreaming and drooling over nonetheless. From Tariq Riaz, that selection is this pair of amazing Wishbone earrings.
This is where Riaz’s engineering background comes into play, mixed with his penchant for eye-catching design. These literally flexible earrings can be worn in two different ways—but this isn’t your simple convertible piece.
Truly offering two very different looks, the Wishbone earrings can be worn long, the jewelry equivalence of letting your hair down. Branched out like a diamond-dusted spinal column of sorts, each V-shape wishbone is nestled in a row for a look that’s either a bit macabre (the perfect skeletal silhouette for Halloween) or rather peaceful (like the snow-dusted branches of a quiet winter). Either way, this single style is magic.
The earrings’ second look (pictured at top) takes those long lines of rosy bones and rounds them out into elegant wreaths, the diamond accents sparkling with more subtlety as they sit at the end of each wispy piece. It’s hard to choose which variation of the earrings I like more, but the beauty is one wouldn’t have to, since it’s a two-in-one brilliant buy.
These earrings, in addition to a host of other miraculously made pieces, are sure to be a highlight of any visit to JCK Las Vegas in the coming week.
Top: Wishbone earrings in 18k rose gold with diamonds, $7,400; Tariq Riaz
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