How do the notions of value and currency enter into art and personal adornment? Jewelry designer Lauren Tickle MFA 09 JM plays with this question in her Increasing Value series, using American dollars to create awe-inspiring brooches, cufflinks, and other pieces. “My work takes underlying materialism and makes it explicit,” says Tickle.

Tickle was recently named one of eight winners (out of more than 200 entries) of the Preziosa Young 2013 Design Competition run by Le Arti Orafe — a contemporary jewelry school in Florence, Italy. Her work will be on display in Italy, Germany and Poland this summer as part of the contest’s traveling exhibition. She had the added distinction of being named winner of the Special Award at Inhorgenta Munich 2014.

Closer to home, Tickle has been busy creating Increasing Value earrings and necklaces for sale at the MoMA Design Store in NYC. MoMA chose her as one of 175 designers to participate in its Destination NYC show this summer, which focuses on innovative materials and production methods as well as relevance to contemporary design.