Plastic Lego bricks replace gemstones in these customisable rings by Berlin jewellery brand Studio GOGO, allowing wearers to change up the design as they see fit.
Crafted from recycled silver, Studio GOGO rings consist of a simple band and a central plate that carefully replicates the shape and size of a Lego tile.
The rings can be worn unadorned or stacked with the wearer’s choice of Lego bricks to suit their current tastes.
Studio GOGO’s earliest pieces were centred around the classic two-by-two square tile, but the range has since expanded to incorporate cross-shaped, rectangular and circular tiles.
“My pieces are made to evolve with you, to be played with, customised and maybe even passed down,” studio founder Thanh-Truc Nguyen told Dezeen.
“At the heart of my jewellery is the belief that meaning, memory and creativity belong in the things we wear every day.”
Nguyen began her career designing one-off jewellery pieces, but got the idea to make Lego-compatible jewellery during a school project on modular ring design.
“At the time, I put it aside, thinking the concept wasn’t particularly original, as I had seen similar ideas out there,” she remembered.
“But years later, I came back to it and something had shifted. I had always seen its potential. But back then, I was focused on creating something entirely new. Over time, I realised that originality isn’t about being first, but about adding your own voice.”
The making process begins with Nguyen digitally producing a master model of her design, which is then used to create a silicone mould. Next, wax is injected through the mould to form individual rings, which are cast in silver using the lost-wax technique.
Nguyen makes and refines each ring by hand in her Berlin workshop, using files, callipers, clamps and an arsenal of other tools to perfect the size and surface texture.
“My designs demand an extremely high level of precision,” she explained. “Tolerances are tight; even a deviation of a tenth of a millimetre can affect fit and function.”
Studio GOGO will soon expand its collection to include Lego-compatible bracelets and necklaces.
The toymaker’s plastic bricks have long been a source of inspiration for architects and designers across disciplines.
Earlier this year, British architect Peter Cook collaborated with Lego to create a domed Play Pavilion in London’s Kensington Park, while NASA is currently working on replicating the shape of the bricks using 3D printers and meteorite dust to build on the moon.
The photography is courtesy of Thanh-Truc Nguyen unless stated otherwise.