A Halloween roundup: spider jewelry.

I must begin this post with a message to my sister:

Dear Laura,

If you have somehow clicked on this post without reading the title, I’m sorry. Click away. You won’t like it.

Love,
Becky

PS: Anyone else with a hatred of eight-legged beasties will want to come back another day, too.

From Anansi to Aragog, spiders are a frequent fixture both in literature, mythology, and our daily lives. Terrifying when they sneak up on you in bed, but beneficial for killing other, less pleasant insects (like my eternal foe, the mosquito).

I’ve seen references to the fact that spiders are sometimes considered good luck and also to the spider’s fierce defense of its young – but my personal opinion is that most spider motifs just symbolize the fact that spiders look really cool as jewelry.

These Daniela Villegas earrings have a whole lot of awesome going on.

First up: they’re rose gold. How often do you see a pretty-in-pink spider? Then: those tourmalines! Yeah. Hard to resist. And finally the subtle spider surmounts, tourmaline-bodied, which cling to the earlobe. Badass.

There are three things I love about this spider brooch: the fact that its body is Tiger’s Eye, its delicate spindley legs, and the awesome angle that Bonhams’ photographer used to capture this beauty here.

This piece is estate (pre-owned), but not not dated.

Anna Ruth Henriques makes some of the coolest spider jewelry I’ve ever seen (thanks to JCK Marketplace for introducing me). The above are in silver with rubies, diamonds, and moonstone.

More Anna Ruth Henriques. The black pearl earrings are via Stone and Strand, the rest are from the artist’s website. I’ve chosen my very favorites, but if you like what you see, I urge you to look into more of her work.

This next piece of spider jewelry is antique – late Victorian, to be precise. It’s a light and lovely piece that looks to me like a spider sitting on top of an ice cube (although that wouldn’t make much sense, really).

The largest piece of the pendant is faceted rock quartz crystal on a 14k gold bail. The front features a delicate spider crouching on the surface of the crystal, with 8 tiny gold wire legs, and rose cut diamond and sapphire body. The spider is attached by a rived that goes through the rock crystal, ending in a golden point on the back side.

The fabulous Jennie Kwon has this small series of spiderweb jewelry, which I think is adorable. The above are all from Twist Online; Catbird also offers a pair of Jennie Kwon spiderweb earrings. Bezel-set diamonds in the webs suggest spiders (or dewdrops?) but these webs’ architects are not present.

Catbird gets extra points for naming the pieces after Charlotte’s Web but Twist has the bangle, which is my favorite piece.

All of this spider jewelry requires at least a dose of chutzpah to wear, but this crystal Saint Laurent brooch is especially bold. Damn if it doesn’t look cool, though, on that black blazer. I’m convinced.

This beauty is similar in era to the previous piece of spider jewelry, but very different in execution. This Art Nouveau stickpin is streamlined compared to its predecessor, but its bold diamond-set body and curved extremities make a statement all the same.

And finally HAPPY ALMOST HALLOWEEN!!! I love this time of year. Go eat something bad for you and take a moment to believe that something magical could be real.

xoxo,
Becky