Fried Rice Necklace Series

Rice pearls, gemstones, silk thread, sterling silver
mana, 2026

The Fried Rice Necklace series approaches fried rice as a structure of memory and improvisation. Across cultures, fried rice is assembled from what remains—rice carried from the previous day, ingredients available at hand, adjusted by instinct rather than strict measure.

Each necklace is composed of rice pearls interspersed with gemstones selected in reference to specific variations of the dish. Every bead is individually hand-knotted on silk thread, creating slight intervals between elements and allowing the composition to settle with flexibility against the body.

The placement of pearls and stones is intentionally irregular. Clusters form and disperse without fixed symmetry, so no two necklaces share the same configuration. The rhythm emerges through accumulation rather than pattern.

Worn close to the collarbone, the necklace functions as a portable ground—an acknowledgment that everyday food practices carry memory, migration, and repetition within them.

This series belongs to ala-ala, where improvisation shapes remembrance, and to dala-dala, where what is carried forward is reassembled in new places.

Produced in small quantities.