How did Ether Eleven start?
Ether Eleven is a luxury jewelry brand founded by Los Angeles-based artists Mike Zagha and Vlad Galat. After many years in the jewelry industry we started Ether Eleven as a creative outlet. We could take our time with our designs, making each piece something special. We now had the ability to expand our creativity beyond that of a traditional jewelry brand concerned with target markets and scalability. We started this to make small batch pieces of wearable art and explore different design aesthetics and it just grew organically from there.
What interests do you both share that helped shape your brand?
We share a deep passion for travel and nature, which often serve as a source of inspiration for our designs. We’ve made jewelry inspired by strange rock formations, buildings we’ve visited, and even local lore. We are also both fascinated by ancient mysteries like sacred geometry, alchemy, and megalithic structures. In direct contrast to this, we are also futurists, fascinated by today’s unknowns such as quantum mechanics, human consciousness, and the nature of time and space. While Ether Eleven is our passion project, we both also work in VFX with a focus on 3D scanning, avatar creation, and most recently artificial intelligence and this also influences our brand.
What inspires your designs?
The common thread connecting the diverse inspirations behind Ether Eleven’s collections—ranging from the gothic allure of the Moonlight Collection, the geometric intrigue of the Elements of Geometry Collection, the rough resilience of Terra, to the dystopian echoes in M31—is the exploration of “Timeless Narratives.” Each collection uses a unique stylistic lens to delve into universal themes: the mystique of hidden knowledge, the contemplation of consciousness, the steadfastness of nature, and speculative futures. These themes are tied together by a shared pursuit of uncovering deeper truths and storytelling, inviting wearers to connect with the broader human experience and the enduring spirit of exploration and discovery.
How would you define your style?
Each Ether Eleven collection has a distinct style: Our Moonlight collection, rooted in ancient esoteric beliefs, takes on a gothic style, while our Geometry collection is quite modern using repeating patterns and faceted low poly geometry to represent perfect symmetry. Our Terra collection is inspired by rock formations and takes on a contemporary jewelry design aesthetic. For the upcoming M31 Collection, we used a neo-brutalist aesthetic.
What is your process?
After selecting a collection theme, we start with mood boards to set the aesthetic tone, followed by sketches and 3D explorations. These initial designs are sometimes enhanced through AI-driven ideations, allowing us to create hundreds of designs. We then engage our social media community to refine these ideas, ensuring they resonate with our audience. The finalized designs are 3D printed in resin for tactile evaluation and further refinement. Once the designs are finalized, the last steps involve traditional lost wax casting and meticulous hand finishing, crafts honed over nearly 6,000 years, to bring our unique pieces to life.
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