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Jewelry has always been about color and light, but Cat Merrick deconstructs this without the use of stones or precious metals. Some pieces are inspired by the light and space art movement, experiments in reflection and refraction to redirect focus back to our surrounding world. Others are an exercise in communicating color as directly as possible. Painting pigments have been refined to a tight family of colors over thousands of years but they are most vibrant without the binder that makes them into paint. Pure pigment set directly in clear quartz is a direct display of civilization's purest expression of color.
Cat works closely with a single machinist in Union City, Maryland. All black metal parts are cut out of solid aluminum and anodized to put absolute focus on color and light. The work is press-fit whenever possible to allow for disassembly and low-waste repair, resulting in a tarnish and scratch free lifespan that dwarfs traditional jewelry. Every piece is assembled with a tactile, press-fit magnetic clasp that closes with a satisfying "click", audible feedback on a job well done, because even die-hard minimalists should be allowed to have a little fun.
Cat grew up in NYC, Greenwich and Las Vegas. A BFA in painting from the School of Visual Arts in Chelsea and a Masters of Industrial Design from Pratt Institute resulted in a hybrid practice between art and design. She cut her teeth designing an extensive line of Peruvian fair trade products for SERRV International, high end Italian shoes for Kari Sigerson and lighting for David Weeks. Her "Quartz" line for Riedel/Nachtmann has made over a quarter million in sales globally to date. A Tool for Sight was nominated by Dezeen and NYCxDesign in 2020 and Strange Days took home best Jewelry Collection from NYCxDesign the following year.
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