I don’t know when I became an “animal addict” but from a very young age I was fascinated by everything that crawled, hopped or slithered my way. That must be the impetus behind the wildlife jewelry I’ve always loved to create.
Like this detailed silver giraffe charm, for instance. Not that one of these giant long legged beasts ever appeared in my backyard, but like all kids I spent some time at the zoo. Back then they didn’t let us feed the animals, but not too long ago I was with my granddaughter at the Lowry Zoo in Tampa and together we held out a cracker to a greedy but gentle giraffe who slurped it up with a blue prehensile tongue. Neat!
And how about monkey jewelry? I designed several versions, but this sweet little sterling sitting monkey pendant is possibly my favorite. It is, of course based on a new world monkey, but primates of all kinds are fascinating and beautiful.
The only time I saw a wolf up close was in a zoo, probably the worst setting for such a magnificent animal. But the wolf charm is my ode to a proud and lovely predator, one that is now reclaiming some of its old territory in the west. This is to the chagrin of many and the delight of others.
But for a Florida girl like myself, there’s nothing quite as winsome as an armadillo. This great version with the sparkly painted red bands is one you can use all year round, even though the original impetus behind the design was to make a holiday armadillo necklace.
Whenever I see one (yes, I do see live ones on occasion) it makes me aware of the amazing diversity of the animal life we have here in North America.
If 14K gold jewelry is what you love and koalas hold a special place in your heart, then don’t miss this sweet-faced koala pendant in gold. Koalas have become a symbol of Australia and of all the wonderful marsupials that inhabit that huge land. Several of my customers have ordered this in the gold- the detail and cuddly character of this fellow gets picked up beautifully in this precious metal.
I try to have a nice array of animal jewelry to choose from, and not just domestic animals and pets. I figure most pet lovers have an interest in wild animals as well. After all, what are our pets but domesticated wild creatures?
Even the elephant has a domestic and a wild nature. I’m not speaking of the African elephant like my silver elephant pin-pendant, but it’s more docile relative, the Indian elephant. That one has been used for centuries as a beast of burden. It’s only recently that the true nature of this sensitive animal has been deciphered, at least a little bit. It seems that elephants truly do have a long memory, and many of them are talented painters as well.
So it isn’t only humans who have the edge on artistry.