Architecture for the Body: The Sculptural World of Renisis Jewelry
This year, Sardwell, founder of the award-winning jewelry brand Renisis and a 2025 One For The Future Honoree, organized Beyond Gold: Couture Jewels at NYC Jewelry Week, where five visionary artists blur the lines between fine art, haute couture, and craft. Through Renisis, launched in 2021 during a moment of artistic renewal, Sardwell explores jewelry as living sculpture. Her modern, sculptural designs draw from years spent in Buenos Aires, Shanghai, and São Paulo, shaped by a deep love of art, nature, and cultural texture. “The transformational ability that sculpture has to alter space is a revolutionary power,” she says, “now harnessed to be worn.”
We sat down with Sardwell to talk about creative doubt, inspiration, and the superpowers hidden within her jewelry.
The World of Renisis
NYCJW: Sardwell, can you give us your elevator pitch? What’s the story behind your work and Renisis?
Sardwell: Renisis is a world of sculptural wearable art at the intersection of jewelry, performance and art.
NYCJW: Have there been any projects or pieces you’ve put on hold? What made you decide it wasn’t the right time for them?
Sardwell: There are several projects that in the end didn’t make sense, due to the scale, cost of making the piece and likelihood of it being successful. One of those projects was a gold necklace. With gold prices so high, it just didn’t make sense.
Expanding Mediums and Bold Beliefs
NYCJW: If your work could take shape in a different medium (like dance, film, or architecture), what would that look like?
Sardwell: It would be incredible to collaborate with a ballet company, such as the NYC Ballet Company or a Modern Opera. Renisis jewelry is like architecture and sculpture for the body and partnering with dance or opera would further ground these wearable art pieces as adornment in the world of art and performance.
NYCJW: Is there a belief or convention in the jewelry world that you quietly, or not so quietly, disagree with?
Sardwell: At Renisis we do not believe in using Lab grown diamonds. We only use natural diamonds supporting mining communities and artisanal miners.
Creative Doubt and Imagined Superpowers
NYCJW: When do you feel the most creative doubt, and how do you work through it?
Sardwell: At times I have creative doubt when arriving at a new design. I have internal discussions whether the design is “good enough” to complete and produce. I find it always challenging to arrive at a decision. At this point, I allow the design to rest, often for months, and later return to the design with fresh eyes.
NYCJW: If you could create a piece for a fictional character or historical figure, who would it be — and what would it be like?
Sardwell: I would enjoy creating a female superhero figure illustration that a Japanese manga cartoon wearing Renisis jewels are her daily armor of protection. Wearing each jewel she would acquire special superpowers to face her life challenges. The Echo Chamber Ear Cuff would enable her to unscramble foreign languages, the Guardian Temple Pendant would empower her to look within the eye and heart of each soul, and the Reservoir Ice Ring would restore calm and breath for enduring focus. I believe that every woman needs to hold their special powers close to meet daily demands and challenges with greater ease.
Inspiration, Emotion, and the Making of a Jewel
NYCJW: What unusual materials or sources of inspiration are you obsessed with right now, and how do they show up in your work?
Sardwell: I have collected and am obsessed with Indigo dyed shibori fabrics printed with wood blocks in Japan. I love the graphic compositions of flowers and other symbols of nature. Currently, I like to use these inspiring designs in the inside of rings or the back details of pendants, similar to a beautiful silk fabric lining the inside of a jacket as a gorgeous surprise.
NYCJW: When someone wears your jewelry, how do you want them to feel? What do you hope it gives them permission to do or experience?
Sardwell: I would love the wearer to perceive that they are wearing a piece of art that has been made with the highest level of craftsmanship and care. I hope others feel emotionally transformed, confident, to transcend expectations, and look beyond their current emotional state, arriving at the most awesome version of themselves.
NYCJW People often ask about your process, how do you arrive at a new design?
Sardwell: How do you arrive at a new design? I would work paper, objects, wax, wire, and metal to form and sculpt ideas at my studio bench. With each rendition, I am to arrive at a new form, engaging from every angle. From these maquettes, I create technical drawings and work with artisans to make the final piece of jewelry.
Recurring Forms and the Art of Exploration
NYCJW: Is there a theme, shape, or emotion that keeps showing up in your collections? Why do you keep coming back to it?
Sardwell: Similar to assembling a fashion collection, I often explore one form, geometric pattern or shape, in different ways throughout a collection. It is a method of working that allows me to investigate a shape in a sculptural way and manipulate it to create new patterns, settings, and novel designs.
We’re grateful to Sardwell for sharing her insights, inspirations, and creative journey with us. Through Renisis, she continues to push the boundaries of jewelry as art, transforming materials, form, and perception into wearable sculptures that empower and inspire. Her thoughtful approach reminds us that jewelry is not just adornment, it’s a vehicle for expression, confidence, and transformation.
About One for the Future (OFTF)
One for the Future celebrates visionary designers shaping the next generation of jewelry and creative industries. Each year, honorees are recognized for their innovation, craftsmanship, and unique perspectives, gaining opportunities for mentorship, exposure, and connection with collectors and industry leaders worldwide.
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