Helen Habtay

What if desire had an on-off switch? Helen Habtay’s Turn Me On, Switch Me Off (2015) plays with contrasts—organic and industrial, sensual and mechanical. These brooches, made of rose quartz, pink marble, steel, plastic, and electrical switches, combine soft, rounded stone with precise, functional hardware. The result is jewelry that demands interaction, tempting the wearer or viewer to engage with it, even if just in their mind.

The material choices add layers of meaning. Rose quartz and pink marble, often associated with warmth, intimacy, and healing, take on a playful yet subversive role when embedded with switches that imply control, activation, or deactivation. The contrast between stone’s permanence and the fleeting function of a switch mirrors the way emotions and relationships can shift in an instant.

Habtay’s work is not just about aesthetics but about engagement. These brooches are worn close to the body, turning adornment into an interactive experience. Turn Me On, Switch Me Off blurs the boundary between jewelry and object, humor and desire, inviting a response both tactile and conceptual.