Toolin’ Up With New Mateo Bijoux “All That Works” Jewelry Collection

The true mark of an artist is often the ability to find the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary, the magnificent in the mundane. In that regard, New York-based Jamaican jewelry designer Matthew Harris, the mastermind behind Mateo Bijoux, can most certainly be considered an artist. His latest collection, dubbed “All That Works,” literally gets down to the nuts and bolts of things, immortalizing the tools and instruments men and women need when working with their hands. Like an ode to blue-collar labor, the “All That Works” collection features necklaces, earrings, and bracelets that nod to a shed’s worth of tools: axes, hammers, screws, bolts, monkey wrenches, razors, nails, mechanical wheels, scissors, miner’s picks, and more.

You don’t need to be a handy type or DIY buff — or, for that matter, earn a living as a logger, carpenter, construction worker, seamstress, ranch hand, roofer, fisherman, or miner — to appreciate the genius of this collection. All of us encounter screws, bolts, and nails on a daily basis and yet, perhaps because of their functional nature or because of their familiarity, we don’t give them a second thought. With this collection, you might just find yourself gazing inside your toolbox and, for the first time, seeing the items within as miniature sculptures of sorts.

The most successful pieces in the collection are also the simplest — among them: the Gold Screw Bracelet ($150 at MateoBijoux.com), shown at top, which features the spiraling ridges of a Phillips screw all along its exterior, as well as one spiked end and another featuring the etched “X” found on the head of any screw of this kind; the Sterling Silver Hammer Necklace ($125 at MateoBijoux.com), shown second above, a deliciously sculptural charm hanging from a 22″long ball bead chain; the Flat Head Bolt Cuff ($195 at MateoBijoux.com), shown next to last, a brass bracelet coated in 18kt yellow gold; and the Sterling Silver Axe Necklace ($125 at MateoBijoux.com), shown last above.

Other pieces include the Sterling Silver Razor Blade Bracelet ($45 at MateoBijoux.com), which features a razor blade charm stamped with the brand’s logo attached to two slim nylon cords (like the bright blue ones pictured above) and finished with a macrame clasp; the Zipper Necklace with Sterling Silver Dagger ($300 at MateoBijoux.com), shown second below, which measures 28″ in length and boasts a “Y” shape; and the Anchor Bracelet ($50 at MateoBijoux.com), shown third below, which features two braided leather cords and an 18kt yellow gold-coated brass anchor charm that also functions as a clasp.

Think of these as the tools to build a better wardrobe!