About
Should we even have an About Us page, or is it too passé? We rarely ever see them anymore. Is this a sign that the internet has become so infested with the disingenuous that authenticity is now considered non-conformist?
Distributors of cheap goods produced through sketchy labor practices, hawked on Instagram and TikTok by plastic people cultivating parasocial relationships and FOMO MLMs dominate all search results. On the rare occasion an artisan site surfaces these days, they've either had too few fucks left to give to make an About Us page, or are simply responding to the trend.
The disappearance of the About Us page opens the door for blurred lines between independent artists who have either given up hope or are kowtowing to the pressures of group norm-enforcement, and soulless or even faceless corporations taking advantage of the lack of transparency this norm affords.
But we're pretty sure that, no matter how you slice it, this goose is cooked. There are simply no ethical efforts artisans can make that will result in increased internet visibility and reach. Those days are over.
So, if invisibility is our fate regardless of our actions, the consequences of non-conformity have no power. And with that said, here's our goddamned son-of-a-bitch motherfucking About Us page, baby!
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 Associate 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 gem-set 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.