I love taxidermy, yet it's something you rarely find combined in a successful way with fashion. Just before Christmas I came across a fascinating jewellery designer, Tessa Metcalfe, who does just that.
A born and bred Hackney girl, Tessa spent her childhood watching pigeons, developing a deep fascination which blossomed into experiments with taxidermy, casting pigeons' feet and ultimately branching into her fascinating jewellery.
Her latest work, the Homage collection, celebrates 'finding beauty in the gutter'; inspired by the city of London, the foot of a pigeon is transformed into a beautiful talisman of fine art jewellery.
This delicately ethereal, and yet oddly morbid, pigeon's foot ring (from £80-£150) is my stand out piece. Bedecked with gold plated nails and wear decadent pearl and gold rings, each piece is made to order the stones and number of rings can be selected to suit the individual and as the ring is adjustable you can get the perfect fit. It's cast in sterling silver, and the pigeon's rings are gold-plated brass with a fresh water pearl or cubic zirconia traditionally set in the pins. It might well be my first jewellery purchase of 2013...
Love Laurel x
