Wings and Things

beetle wing earrings with vintage cabs & peacock feathers

I purchased these shimmering green elytra early last year, not entirely sure if I'd be able to use them. They're incredibly beautiful, but the whole "dead bug" aspect kinda squicks me out a bit -- and yes, I do appreciate the irony of that statement, considering that I often play with dead things (leather, feathers, bones). It didn't take long to overcome my aversion to bugs, though. These beetle wings are absolutely stunning and they've been calling to me for months.

Ultimately, time was my biggest hurdle in working with these. I found myself so consumed with deadlines and custom orders, that I never really had free time to explore my ideas for these new and exciting materials. Fortunately, I did carve out a little bit of time at the end of the year just to make something that I wanted to -- and it felt great! These earrings are the result. I am currently working on a collar to match -- will post photos when it's completed.