OK weird…so I was searching for things like “taxidermy,” as usual, and I came across a very interesting line of Victorian-inspired taxidermy jewelry by Loved to Death. Although I first found their Etsy store full of birds’ and bats’ wings necklaces and squirrel head pendants, in my researching I also found out that Loved to Death is a store on Haight St. in San Francisco. And then the weird part – they run the Articulated Gallery, which I inadvertently posted about in my feature on Dan Harding, who is a part of their current group show, Under the Gun. Even the Internet can be a small world sometimes. It’s not surprising that Loved to Death run a gallery, as their curio shop and accessory line evolved from their art – anthropomorphic taxidermy dioramas. Anyway, besides running a gallery that shows rad artists, Loved to Death make some freaky and fascinating pieces that they call “taxidermy memento mori,” and pay tribute to the little creatures that have passed on by memorializing them in the form of earrings, pendants and rings. Some of my personal favorites are the human tooth rings, where pristine molars are set into sterling silver ring settings. I am not sure where they get the teeth, but they assure us that all of the creatures they use in their taxidermy died of natural causes – not at their hands. They use the preserved bones of the animals in creative ways, painting or dying them and gilding their little teeth. Another amazing piece is the rattlesnake head pendant, which leaps off your chest as if it’s about to strike. Loved to Death also collaborated on some cast squirrel heart pieces with another favorite line of mine, Bloodmilk. After the jump, find your taxidermy dream come true among Loved to Death’s memento mori…
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