These Ceramos Design necklaces are a conversation starter, and one that might end up differently than admirers will expect. At first glance, one would never think these striking pieces are made with leftovers. But in fact Cecilia E. Ramos, a trained architect, used acrylic, wire and leather cord from her past architectural projects to create these unique pieces that launched her career as a jewelry designer.

“The first pieces of jewelry came out of personal experimentation with materials post architecture undergraduate work,” explains the M.I.T.-trained Ramos. “The initial designs emerged out of material and tectonic experimentation; at the beginning there was no concrete vision, rather the simple curiosity and desire to make something with my own hands that was visually stunning and that I could wear casually to add a bit of spice to an everyday outfit.”

Striking and unusual, her Sunburst and Woven necklaces will add a modern, unconventional touch to your look. Which is just how Ramos wants it to be—a trained painter as well as an architect, she sees jewelry not as a surface embellishment but as a spatial element that affects both the wearer and those she comes into contact with.

They’re the thinking girls’ answer to a string of pearls. The Sunburst necklace, which is available in either gold or silver, is made up of clear laser-cut acrylic disks wired together to form a breastplate. The Woven necklace, which is made of clear laser-cut acrylic disks strung together with a bronze-colored leather cord, is similar in design but more fluid. Be sure to mouse over the images to get a closer zoomed-in view. “Jewelry design is a very personal venture,” says Ramos.

“The difference between jewelry design and my other projects is that in jewelry, the first aesthetic and practical constraint I encounter is my own discriminating taste. The lack of outsider expectation gives me the freedom to explore new ideas through unexpected materials, shapes, and techniques that appeal to me no matter how unconventional.”