In the spirit of Queen Margherita's jewels comes this similar 'transformer'-like tribute, repurposed from a child's LEGO® set, hence making it the debut neckpiece in My First Royal Jewels Jewellery Collection. During the 20th century many of the royal jewels were unmounted and reset (the necklace included), and redesigned so that large neckpieces could convert into bracelets, brooches, and smaller necklaces, akin to what was happening in French jewelry at that time. For her love of jewelry and pearls, she was known as 'The Queen of Pearls,' the necklace being part of her dowry, originally in the dowry of her mother, Elizabeth of Saxony, the daughter of King John of Saxony. This neckpiece is a modern-day reinterpretation of The Royal emerald, pearl and diamond necklace of Queen Margherita, consort of King Umberto I of Italy during the 1870s. Museum of Contemporary Craft Teaching Collection Recycled and repurposed LEGO®, coated copper wire, rubber cording, sterling silver, steel pin back.ģ4' L open, 19.75' closed x 5/8-8.5' W x 0.5-1.75' D Show neckpiece converts into 3 bracelets, 2 neckpieces, one brooch, © 2007 emiko oye Digital images of participants can be found at San Francisco Museum of Craft+Design flickr set. The public was invited to try on the collection of repurposed, LEGO® replica as if it was their own. The initial collection was created as an interactive installation and emiko oye's solo show at the San Francisco Museum of Craft+Design, Oct 17, 2008-Jan 4, 2009. Now we might ask the question: who are today’s jewelry collectors and what does one consider valuable and precious in the 21st century?

A time when platinum and emeralds were the materials of choice and a woman’s jewelry was seen as emblems of her “lord’s” rank in the world. My First Royal Jewels is a modern-day reinterpretation of European jewelry created by some of the great design houses of the early 20th century-Louis Boucheron, Cartier (Paris), and Harry Winston-much sought after names by the royal and social elite.

Paint transformer en noir et blanc