Caroline Van Hoek Mategoh Ring

The 18-carat gold Mategoh Ring, from jewellery designer Caroline van Hoek, combines the heights of mid-century French design with contemporary jewellery.

Van Hoek’s Mategoh collection takes inspiration from the furniture of renowned French designer Mathieu Matégot, who used repeated patterns of perforation across metal sheets to achieve a levity within his domestic designs. This ring shares its form with the bow shape of a Matégot chair’s backrest. Van Hoek left her handiwork intentionally visible, meaning each piece in the limited edition of eight will be slightly different.

Van Hoek contrasts Matégot’s machine-made, metal furniture with her own handmade process. It is not her intention to copy the French master’s technique, but to translate the simplicity of the design in her own way, to hint at the art historical reference.