The nests are arranged asymmetrically and irregularly, allowing the necklaces to be worn in multiple ways, including joined together as a single long chain.

In this piece, Otto Jakob explores nature casting, an ancient technique found in Etruscan and Hellenistic jewelry and revived in 16th-century Europe, most famously by Wenzel Jamnitzer. The essence of the method is the use of a real botanical or organic specimen to create a mold for metal casting. During the process, the natural object is completely burned away, leaving behind a negative space that preserves its exact form. When this void is filled with molten gold, the result is a precise gold replica that retains the textures, surfaces, and structures of the original.

In this necklace, the technique was used to create the nests that hold the diamonds. Each nest is unique and distinct from the others, as each was assembled from a different combination of nature casts taken from the flower stalks of daylilies grown in the atelier garden. The final result is harmonious yet free of monotonous repetition.

Nature casting is one of Jakob’s characteristic techniques and has been a consistent presence in his work since the 1980s.