This eco jewelry may be cool, but it’s also kinda creepy. And we love it!
By Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
They’ve always been a favourite with Goths and Rockers, but now snakes, skulls and other ‘scary’ themes in jewellery have gone mainstream. Frequently seen on the catwalks of Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen and even Valentino, insect and serpent motifs have been seen in the form of bag clasps, textile prints and accessories.
We laud this nod to nature, and believe a little creepy crawly eco jewelry always adds a bit of killer cool to get that femme fatale touch.
Here’s a selection of some of our favourite, though slightly creepy eco jewelry design brands.
Kinda Creepy Eco Jewelry Brands
1. Rachel Entwhistle
Rachel Entwhistle is one of Eluxe’s favourite eco friendly jewelry designers for the way her sleek talismans with protective symbolism are forged using ethically sourced and recycled materials.
In her Metamorphosis and Scarabaeidae collections. the scarab rules supreme as messenger of eternity and creature that can enlighten you a crossroad. If you’re more into skeletons than bugs, her bony Memento mori jewelry range has a ‘zombie chic’ touch.
2. Pamela Love
Like any rock chick, eco friendly jewelry brand creator Pamela Love favours eagle claw necklaces, dagger earrings, and serpent rings in her jewel box. The former experimental film director instills eco-kudos in her bijoux by ensuring that all her gemstones and semi-precious stones are ethically sourced, and of course she hand-makes each piece in her own New York based studio.
3. Alkemie Jewellery
Husband and wife design team (Ashley Lowengrub & Dara Gerson) create unique eco friendly jewelry forged from 100% reclaimed metals. Alkemie’s noble mission is to translate something that would otherwise be landfill-bound into wearable art.
What’s more, part of every purchase is donated to a charitable organisation, according to the principle of giving back. Whether you choose their hawk cuff, wolf ring, or skin-textured bangles, your outfit will look truly wicked.
4. Polly van der Glas
If you want to reach the peak of creep, pick a jewel that upcycles…human parts. Yep, that’s right: Polly van der Glas creates her bijoux using materials that were once attached to our bodies- human hair, teeth and (gasp!) fingernails. All works are handcrafted and designed in her Melbourne studio, setting raw materials from the body that are filed, shaped, thoroughly sterilised and then handset in metal.
Van der Glas uses this transformation, she says, “to destabilise ideas about beauty”. Well, works for us!
6. Natalie Frigo
Natalie Frigo is inspired by black cats, eagles and all things sharp and clawy. Favourite pieces of ours include her sabre-tooth and pearl earrings and angular cat cuff.
While her objects may be scary, her ethics totally aren’t: she utilises gemstones that come from mines that are guaranteed to provide safe working conditions and protect the environment by limiting dangerous chemicals to a minimum, as well as developing plans for restoring the land after mining is complete. Natalie’s lower Manhattan studio is the eco-smithy par excellence.
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I think it has been about a decade since my fingers were covered in rings, or that I bought a pair of fashionable earrings – I’ve eschewed jewellery for quite a while as I was unable to find anything that rang true to my soul, both in design and how it is produced, so I gave up looking to be honest!
I started scrolling through your jewellery posts because I was looking for gift inspiration, but I think I found a designer or two that are perfect for myself instead – Rachel Entwhistle’s creations are the perfect mix of nature, culture and ethics. Thanks Eluxe!
Oh wow! Thanks for this awesome comment. You made our day, Kim! <3 <3 <3