Jewelry that looks as if it was knotted, looped and bundled by hand, because it was. A group of three art necklaces by Rosanna Contadini for Neo Design, each worked in matte neoprene cord: a red necklace built of dense, tumbling loops on a knotted band; a grey knot and bar necklace, its knotted cord bristling with short cut lengths of cord like a spray of twigs; and a black knot and tail necklace, a loose hank of fine black cord gathered by a wrapped binding and left to fall in a long fringe of tails.

Contadini, a former ceramic designer, founded Neò in Rome in 2007 after discovering neoprene cord in a hardware store while hunting for new materials. Light, soft and sculptural, her pieces sit somewhere between costume jewelry and small textile sculpture.

The Details

• Era: Contemporary, 21st century
• Maker: Rosanna Contadini for Neo Design (Neò), Italy
• Materials: Neoprene cord
• Quantity: Three necklaces (red loop; grey knot and bar; black knot and tail)
• Length: Black knot and tail necklace about 20 in. (50.8 cm) around the neck, 27 in. (68.6 cm) long overall; red and grey necklaces somewhat shorter.
• Condition: Minor wear, with some staining to the red and grey elements and a few dimples to the grey bar components. Otherwise good.