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

Xover0
Pronunciation: /eks ˈōvər ˈzɪərəʊ/
Abbreviation: X / 0
Definition: A name pronounced "X Over Zero," commonly abbreviated as X / 0.

is the studio of designers Duane McLemore AIA and Katherine Voorhies.

Xover0's designs are born from Duane's wild-eyed mathematical experimentations, and are not complete until Katherine's eye for polish and refinement is applied to every shape. Their collection of unique heirloom jewelry ranges in style from sleek to regal to tongue-in-cheek. It has caught the eyes of jewelry connoisseurs around the world. Their Geoheart Pendant plays a pivotal role in the Netflix movie Uglies, and was streamed 47 million times in its first ten days on the platform.

The design duo harness 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.

Their jewelry 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.

(Xover0 released their first designs 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 is currently an Assistant Professor teaching courses that focus on computational design, fabrication, and representation.

Katherine has a BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons Paris. She has worked as an assistant fashion designer, wardrobe stylist, graphic designer, and director of production for a high profile 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, gold, and occasional base metal 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.

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