Maya Brenner shark’s tooth necklace in sterling silver | $150 at Iconery
I really hate to use the word obsessed, but I can’t think of a better one, so obsessed it is. I’ve been obsessed with shark’s teeth since I was a kid collecting them at the beach; I preferred them over shells. And every time I see shark tooth jewelry, I gasp a little, and put it on my wish list.
Which is totally what I did when Andrea Linett announced her collab with Iconery (which she’s actually also a co-founder of) and I saw her shark tooth earring charms:
Andrea Linett shark tooth earring charms & earrings | from $275
Sigh.
So to ease into shark tooth jewelry, I bought the necklace above, by Maya Brenner (which Kim France featured in gold w/diamonds on her blog a couple days ago), in very respectable sterling silver, which, mostly, is what I can afford right now, but also I want to layer it with my delicate gold necklace, which I thought would be a very cool contrast. And I can’t say I really love the triangle hoops the charms are featured with, so I’d rather put the charms on a simple pair of very tiny gold hoops, which I must find first. And then save the money for.
But anyway, I’ve been meaning to write about Iconery for a while, especially since they launched the aforementioned collabs with Andrea Linett & Kim France, both of whom are basically as close to style icons one who doesn’t have style icons can have. Lucky Magazine was the only magazine I read with regularity, even until the end – in spite of it’s sharp decline – and theirs are the only blogs besides one or two others I read consistently. But I digress.
I love everything at Iconery, including their tag line: “Because life’s too short to wear fake jewelry.” Which, of course, is so true: real jewelry made by real people is a million times better than cheap Forever21 “jewelry” or mass-marketed Baublebar sh*t (pardon me). But it’s more than that, it’s about individuality, independence, and the boldness to be YOURSELF (whoever that is). To be REAL. Not that I’m entirely sure who myself is ALL the time, but I know better than I ever have before, and she certainly doesn’t do fake anything 😉
I kind of have similar feelings about jewelry: I can only make myself wear silver and semiprecious stones, and can’t make peace with any imitation materials. However, I have a friend who is an expert in vintage beads, and she has a huge vintage costume jewelry collection with enthralling stories behind each piece (technique, era, uses, etc,). She is a woman of great depth and she made me understand there is some merit to costume jewelry too, even if I personally cannot appreciate it.
oh, certainly! i guess when i say fake (and probably iconery does too) i mean knockoffs, or just really cheap-looking pieces that are meant to be trendy, and fall apart. there are so many amazing costume jewelry pieces that are works of art basically – and original – so like you, while I can’t wear them, i appreciate the women who do, and love the stories they tell.
I wear it all…real, fake, cheap, expensive (for me). I realize that affordable is different for everyone, but my favorite pieces tend to be my “real” things (Helen Ficalora gold stamped initials necklace, Lauren Wolf pearl earrings, Chan Luu wrap bracelet, Melissa Joy Manning gold hoops). I hate when jewelry dis colors quickly or falls apart after several wearings. Cheap isn’t worth it!
i’ve had so many “cheap” but not cheap things that were plated, or whatever, and the gold rubbed off over time, so i couldn’t wear the piece anymore. which is mostly why i don’t wear anything but “real” gold or silver anymore – i just hate it when pieces i love wear out and i can’t wear them any longer…
that’s sort of what’s happening with my lauren wolf stingray bracelet, because it’s oxidized. i haven’t taken it off in several years, so the oxidation wears off/fades over time. it’s looking VERY bright silver lately LOL but that’s okay, because i LOVE IT SO MUCH.
You can put the bracelet (it’s sterling silver, right?) in a ziplock bag with a freshly boiled egg (peeled, smashed into pieces). The sulfur from the egg will oxidize the silver again. It happens quickly so you can watch it and take it out when you’re pleased with the with the color. You can wash the egg off the piece, it won’t remove the oxidation effect. Otherwise, you can use a bowl that has an airtight cover, and keep the jewelry away from the egg. I’ve done this and really liked the result. If you don’t like how it turns out, you can polish it or boil it with baking soda to bring its brightness back.
NO WAY!!!! mind blown.
i don’t mind the brightness that much, but yeah, i’d love some of the oxidation back.
totally going to try this ASAP
thank you!!
I’ve got a cuff with the same issue! “Cool tip of the week” <3
I think you may like this designer Ki-ele, a local Jeweler in Hawaii. I ran across her in a local trade fair in Honolulu and I have a lot of her stuff in gold plate. It has held up really well and it’s locally designed and influenced. She has shark tooth necklaces and bracelets as well
http://www.ki-ele.com/necklaces/sharks-tooth-necklace/
beautiful! thank you for sharing tess.
Checking out Iconery now and loving the jewelry- thanks for a great recommendation!