About

Should we even have an About Us page? They seem passé. It has become a trend to pretend that this is effortless. A cool ironic detachment is "of the zeitgeist" - to use a turn of phrase of chronic imitators.

This opens the door for blurred lines between independent artists sick of begging for approval and soulless or even faceless corporations who take advantage of that trend and hide behind it.

But for us, to erase the effort is to disappear. We don't have the luxury of pretending that this is easy. So here is who we are, uncool, provincial, and over eager as it may seem.

Company Statement

X / 0 (X Over Zero) is the studio of designers Duane McLemore and Katherine Voorhies. The studio was founded on the premise that contemporary computation and fabrication can be used to push the edges of the possible, even by fiercely independent practitioners working with tight constraints.

Our designs are born from Duane's wild-eyed mathematical experimentations, and are not complete until Katherine's eye for polish and refinement is applied through digital sculpting.

We harnesses both cutting edge methods and time honored techniques to craft objects that test the limits of current technology and are at the forefront of a new aesthetic that wouldn't otherwise be possible.

The jewelry we create is not just flattering, it also starts conversations. The forms are delicate and intricate, but they also have an ordering logic that will keep you contemplating their beguiling complexities.

(We released our first products in September of 2016.)


Designer Bio

Duane is a licensed architect and graduate of USC School of Architecture. He also holds a Masters from The Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London. He currently teaches architecture and design at MSU. His courses focus on computational design, fabrication, and representation.

Katherine is a graduate of Parsons Paris with BFA in Fashion Design. She has worked as an assistant fashion designer, wardrobe stylist, graphic designer, and director of production for a stationery and gift company. She brings all of these skills together and more in running X / 0.

Together we design and fabricate our sterling silver, base metal, and gold jewelry in our Mississippi studio using the same pairs of hands that built the studio itself - from the framing, to the masonry, to the dry wall. Within these walls we do our own design, casting, soldering, setting, and polishing. We are quite frankly hands on AF.

We use de-oxidized .925 sterling silver grain in our castings, which means our pieces take 6 times longer to tarnish than standard sterling silver jewelry. We want you to spend time enjoying your jewelry, not polishing it.

Our steel and nylon pieces are fabricated by trusted production partners, but they are always qc-ed by us at our studio before we ship them to you.


...If you've read this far and want more, check out our Manifesto.