The Blue Hound, designs defined by aesthetic; unrefined with a hint of the masculine. The creative collaboration between Joe Ieraci and Mahir Oncu Arslan began in 2009 when the two met in NYC. Their first pieces were created from near memories of places traveled and of more personal appreciations of nature and texture. As time went on, the collection also became infused with older memories, spiritual meaning and symbolic references to other cultures. The Blue Hound continues to draw on these inspirations in designing the collection. The underlaying aesthetic of design almost always has 2 key elements; texture and imperfection. Textures are culled from both natural and manmade elements. A mountain stream can inspire an undulating pattern for a pair of cufflinks. Yet, the industrial rhythm of cables and steel can lead to a new design for a bracelet. For The Blue Hound, imperfection is the perfect way to imbue personal history and age; the idea that a piece of jewelry can reflect one’s life and memories. The collection of The Blue Hound is sterling silver based which takes on an unrefined look through texturing and aging. We love mixing silver with other metals such as 14k gold and bronze. We also love the combination of silver with wood or leather. We gently ‘age’ for a distinct visual aesthetic (adding a ‘history’ to the piece), purposely leaving in the metal’s subtle imperfections as a strong textural element. Our pieces are limited production and handcrafted in NYC. The castings are in the lost wax technique. Our focus is mainly metalwork with the occasional use of diamonds which create a ‘quiet luxe’ look to a piece.