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Meet the Creator of Beyoncé’s Crown From the ‘7/11’ Video

Ms. Wass’s big break came in 2014, when Bergdorf Goodman invited her to design a window as part of an artist series, helping her attract the attention of stores like Colette, 10 Corso Como and Boon the Shop. That success eventually delivered fans like the reality star Kylie Jenner, the Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards and the musicians Phantogram and James Blake.

Sometimes, as with “Awaken, My Love!” and Beyoncé’s crown, Ms. Wass does not know where or how her pieces will end up. In other cases, she has made personal connections that led to collaborations.

Photo

Ms. Wass in her studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Credit
Deidre Schoo for The New York Times

She met Ms. Badu at a party while wearing one of her own creations: a gold voluminous mask made of pyramids. “Erykah came up to me and was like: ‘Hi, my name is Erykah. Can you make these pieces for me?’” Ms. Wass said. “And I was like, ‘Absolutely.’”

Ms. Wass, 31, majored in Latin American studies at the University of Pennsylvania but had always been interested in art. After graduating in 2008, she took on several jobs in manufacturing and product design, supporting labels like Coach, Swarovski and Diane von Furstenberg with their jewelry collections. In 2012, she founded WXYZ Jewelry.

Why the obsession with repeating shapes? “I was into the simplicity of the fundamental structures on which our entire world is built,” Ms. Wass said. “The structures of life itself are built on these fundamental shapes.”

As for what is next, Ms. Wass wants to go bigger. “At first, I wanted to crack the code of creating a brand that’s distinctive and recognizable and has a clear voice and breaks through the noise,” she said. “In order to do that I had to get really specific. Now I see these things almost as miniatures for building sets and sculptures, and creating immersive worlds.”

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