Me Myself & Eye

Artist-jeweller Rhys Kelly has an obsession with hyper-realistic eyeballs. Her sculptural approach to pendants and rings will forever change the way you see jewellery.

- KARISHMA TULSIDAS

An eye for an eye—makes the world sparkle a little more. We’re not talking about the evil eye motif that’s emblazoned on every touristy trinket from Greece to Turkey, seen on jewels, bags and T-shirts. If the Jenner sisters are the current arbiters of taste, then behold the elevated—if slightly macabre—version of eye jewellery: jewels that resemble the actual human eye.

Earlier this year, our magpie eyes zeroed in on a ring that resembled an eyeball worn by Kylie Jenner on Instagram. Further sleuthing revealed that this was a ring from the autumn/winter 2022 collection by Acne Studios. Think leather bracelets fastened by a nail à la Megan Thee Stallion, chokers adorned with spikes, and mood rings featuring a face.

The Acne Studios ring worn by Jenner offers a human eyeball set in a silver mount. It’s eerily realistic, with a lifelike resemblance to the unique melatonin-rich crypts, radial furrows and pigment spots that lend colour to the iris. While the human eye is often described as the window to one’s soul, the effect of this realistic jewel was more macabre than conventionally beautiful.

Acne Studios is not the only jewellery brand to have derived inspiration from the eyeball. Artist jeweller Rhys Kelly, who is based in the US, has long been fascinated by the eyes. She learnt how to make prosthetic eyeballs when she was in special effects school, intrigued by the fact that each eyeball is unique, even for identical twins.