Digital Citizen is the new high-end jewellery collection by jewellery designer Jude Benhalim, that aims to bring about a recurring theme of our time; the intersection of human interaction with technology, resulting into an era of ‘Digital Citizens’.

Jude is a Cairo-based jewellery designer, that created her brand at just seventeen years old, with the help of her mom, who is coincidentally her business partner too. Jude’s passion for new ideas, and inspiration from the women who wear her cutting-edge designs brings diverse design ideas, and a fresh perspective to the craft of jewellery making. The collection is a representation of the current reality of how technology pervades every corner of the human existence. Taking it beyond the concept of ‘wearable technology’ to embody the virtual world that exists in tandem with the physical world; featuring a series of pieces that are symbolic of the electronic space.

Birthed at the intersection of art and technology, this collection features icons and symbols that we see on a daily basis, through our interactions with technology. Tangled wires, spirals and hoops, are all fused with the jewellery to become an artistic statement about the hold technology has over the human race. Other emblems of our eternally plugged-in lives include bar-codes, pixels, and the loading wheel.

‘As we become more and more entrenched in the 21st century, the more technology, social media and online data has become not only a part of our everyday lives but a part of who we are and how we identify ourselves. Everyone is connected, but in reality, we are growing more detached from human contact than ever before. However, the more we try to fight it, being ‘online’ has become a need more than a want. This collection exemplifies the drawbacks of the virtual world, and the glitches in this man-made system of plugged-in living.’ States Jude.

The collection features an array of 925 sterling silver, and gold-plated brass pieces, from chokers, to earrings, to necklaces- all pieces make a bold statement, with cut-out detailing and intertwined designs that complement the feminine colours, in resin stone inserts. The combination of colours used include warm burgundy, petrol blue, teal, and aubergine. Jude’s avid love of colour is revealed throughout the collection; with each piece of resin dyed by hand and with each colour mixed individually.

However, colours vary according to the fashion trend palettes, making each collection unique in its shapes and colours. As with all Jude Benhalim jewellery, the collection is made with traditional local craftsmanship that executes each piece at a high quality.