HOORSENBUHS Makes Me Feel... (Mighty Real)

The clothing and accessories we wear should feel as good as they look–that's half the pleasure of owning beautiful things. It's also a quality that can't be copied by average manufacturers, because most mass-produced goods are tethered to the lowest common denominator.

Designer Robert Keith shares Oscar Wilde's simple tastes: he's always content with the best. His unisex jewelry collection, HOORSENBUHS (named for a 17th-century Dutch trading ship), uses noble materials like 18k-gold, diamonds (both black and colorless) and soft, but rugged, leather. Everything's sculpted, shaped and assembled in Los Angeles, and the pieces are so finely finished they look newborn, not made: they have an air of inevitability that hallmarks good design. And when Keith drops a ring in the palm of your hand, you're a goner–its weight stirs an awareness of gravity and reconnects you to the earth.

The item we truly covet, however, is a leather strap with gold O rings. Keith makes several versions (the one above has a sprinkling of diamonds), but our favorite is the simplest. Wrapped and tightened around our wrist, it looked vaguely tribal and terribly chic. Best of all, it felt protective, like a contemporary talisman. Or, more accurately, like armor for a 21st-century fashion warrior.