Hyoid Studio

Between Bone and Porcelain: The Sculptural World of Hyoid Studio

Situated somewhere between jewelry, sculpture, and contemporary art. Hyoid Studio has developed a distinctive visual language in which porcelain becomes a living material. Founded by an artist drawn to organic forms. The brand takes its name from the hyoid bonethe, most fragile bone in the human body. A fitting symbol for a practice defined by delicacy, vulnerability, and unexpected beauty.

Each ring emerges from an intuitive process in which the artist hand-carves porcelain before entrusting it to the kiln. By embracing the unpredictability, every piece is unique. Drawing from organic forms and futuristic imagery, these creations blur the boundaries between nature and imagination.

Far more than simple accessories, Hyoid Studio’s pieces offer a sensory experience. Lightweight, fragile, and deeply sculptural, they transform the act of wearing jewelry into an intimate relationship with the object itself. Through this approach, the brand creates a bridge between contemporary art and everyday life. In fact, the brand makes an artistic universe typically confined to galleries both wearable and accessible.

To better understand the world behind Hyoid Studio, we spoke with its founder. She is inspired by organic forms and porcelain. In fact, she invites us into a world where jewelry becomes an extension of her artistic vision.

IRK: The name Hyoid refers to a bone in the human body. Why did this anatomical reference feel important in defining the identity of the studio?

Hyoid Studio: When I first started making porcelain jewelry the immediate feedback from my studio mates was that these jewels looked like bones. I’ve heard that before about my larger sculptural work too, and to me it made sense. I think my attraction to porcelain as my medium creates a basis of something very bone like, translucent and organic. Hyoid in particular is the most fragile bone in the human body. This felt very appropriate for my brand. That’s because porcelain jewelry isn’t metal jewelry. The relationship with it – creating, wearing, is inevitably altered by the fragility and oddity of the material. Furthermore, I need to also give credit to my studio mates for coming up with this name and offering it to me as an idea. For that I’m very grateful.

IRK: Your porcelain pieces almost feel sculpted like organic objects. Does this material offer you a different creative freedom compared to traditional metalwork?

Hyoid Studio: Yes, porcelain offers me a relationship with sculpting that wasn’t immediately there with metal, the process of forming the ring is very specific to the quality of the porcelain I use. However what most excited me is the process behind making porcelain jewelry. The fact is that I don’t control the process entirely. I can only put my best effort into form and ingredients I put in the kiln. But what comes out – that’s what I have, and it’s never really the same. I think as a photographer who works in the dark room a lot I connected with the feeling of surprise and magic that permeates the process. 

IRK: Does your creative process begin with drawing, the material itself, or directly through volume and form?

Hyoid Studio: My process is very intuitive, I carve the ring using surgical scalpels from a somewhat misshapen piece of clay into the shape that it will become. Consciously, I don’t control or try to make perfect cuts that fit each other. I start each piece with a new line, new setting idea, new band. After that, I then work around it like I would with a sculpture. I keep finding what belongs and what needs to be cut.

IRK: Jewelry has a very intimate relationship with the body. When designing a ring or a piece, do you think first about the physical sensation of wearing it or its visual impact?

Hyoid Studio: Yes! very much. I’m very very sensitive to the feel of jewelry on my hands, ears and neck. I have styles that are very vey delicate, probably beyond reason, but they are weightless and stacking them feels so good on my hands. In addition, I always choose a looser fit so that the rings move around gently on the fingers creating very soft clicks. Sounds kinda nuts but it’s a very pleasant sensation, specially for an anxious brain. I also create styles that I know aren’t practical or most comfortable. However, they are a pleasure to wear because they genuinely feel like art that can be worn. I guess what I should say is I always think visually first when I make. But I think with sensation first when I “edit” and choose what gets sold and what doesn’t.

IRK: Today, many emerging independent brands are blurring the boundaries between art and design. Is this hybrid space where you would position Hyoid Studio?

Hyoid Studio: Yes, absolutely! This is ceramic jewelry, inherently a little absurd, impractical, rare – at least the way I want to continue to make it. I make mine specifically as a bridge between my art and the larger world. In fact, creating Hyoid was a way to make my art a lot more available than let’s say sculptures I make that take me 3-4 weeks to complete(a piece).

IRK: Is there one particular piece that, in your opinion, best embodies the DNA of Hyoid Studio?

Hyoid Studio: I’m struggling to find just one piece, but If I really had to pick one, I would say Halion II was a revelation when I saw it come out of the kiln.

IRK: What aspect of your work excites you the most today: the act of creation itself, the exploration of forms, or the reaction of the people who wear your pieces?

Hyoid Studio: All three of those things are so dear and so important to me, but if I had to pick I would say the act of creation is number one.

IRK: Your creations seem to evolve within an almost futuristic universe while remaining deeply organic. Is this tension between technology and nature something that particularly interests you?

Hyoid Studio: You put it beautifully when you say tension between nature and technology. I’m addicted to the natural world, everything it has to say and give and it inspires me every single day. I was never a fan of technology and when I think of that word it turns me off. However, I do dream in that direction when I make my work. But I think I’m dreaming of ”technology” not here on earth, but some imagined, H.R.Geiger like otherworldly half organic technology. 

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