This 1888 Design is a:
One of a Kind
Reimagined Components: Extremely unique yet a little less loud. A real found, cleaned and re-worked opossum vertebrae bone paired with real turquoise crown bead and hanging beads salvaged from broken different necklaces, hung on a dainty 18'' gold-tone oval link chain.
Components Found in: Manhattan Beach CA, Long Beach CA, Algonquin IL
~Opossum~
The North American Opossum is a polarizing creature. Many consider this marsupial a rat-like pest shoeing it away from their garbage cans and off their fences. While others see it as a friendly nocturnal visitor and find its dark and wide eyes and bushy fur sweet and cuddly. Whatever your take may be, when an opossum comes into your life you should think about what it could symbolize. If you were to startle the creature quickly enough it would play dead. That is to say, it would play possum. Its instinct tells it that a dead possum isn’t nearly as appealing as a live one and it simply plops over and waits out the danger. Think about how much courage that would take to trust the nature of your challenger enough to know that it wouldn’t attack if you simply acted a certain way. The Opossum also carries its young clinging to its back seemingly unencumbered by the burden as it scavenges for anything it can find to feed its family. In general, opossums are thought to be a good omen and carry with them a symbol of fertility and strong family protection.
~Claws, Teeth, Bones~
Across the human story, claws, teeth, bones and other animal remains have traditionally been worn to showcase a variety of things. One’s hunting prowess, social standing, medicinal knowledge, or place of origin could be assessed before a single word was spoken during an interaction. Nowadays, the wearing of these materials has become mostly symbolic. We’d like to think of wearing these materials as a form of respect paid to the animals for their contributions to our world, and serve as a potent reminder of the lessons that each being teaches us.
~Spider Turquoise~
Spider turquoise is formed when a cluster of turquoise nuggets are naturally cemented together with a dark matrix and when a cabochon is cut reveals a spider web-like pattern. For thousands of years, turquoise has been prized as a symbol of wisdom, nobility, and immortality. In many Native American cultures, it represents the great spirit in the sky and is often referred to as the Sky Stone. It’s believed that if a crack forms in the stone, it has taken the injury for its wearer.
DISCLAIMER: Any and all animal specimens that we use in our designs are ethically sourced, either found in nature predeceased by natural causes or sourced from an ethical handler. WE NEVER HARM OR KILL ANIMALS FOR THE SAKE OF OUR ART. The purpose of including animal remains in our designs is to honor the animal's being and speak upon the lessons they teach us in life.
After each artifact or specimen has been discovered it is sent through a careful restoration process before being used in a design. If a particularly unique patina is found to add design value to an artifact, it's preserved and sealed to ensure its longevity and protection.
1888 Design
Upcycled Jewelry
Vintage // Antique // Reimagined
-Ali & Nathan
