As a child of the recycling generation, I pretty much never buy anything new. I haven’t resorted to foraging yet, but when it comes to clothing (besides the stuff we make) or household knick knacks, I like my stuff second hand. And with jewelry, I am a huge fan of using found or ethically sourced bones and teeth in their design. Cindy Leper does just that, and creates gorgeous and simple rings and necklaces from carved recycled wood, coyote bones, boar tusks, chestnuts and human teeth. Her designs work with the materials’ natural beauty, keeping her lines and fastenings simple – geometric shapes show off the grain of the wood and cotton thread embraces the bones and tusks. Some of my favorite pieces are her “Tooth Fairy” and “Tooth Coffin” pendants, where she has carved and painted little chestnut casings to hold human teeth encased in resin. She has a fascinating new collection coming out in October 2014 called Opposites, and from the couple of pieces she has displayed it looks very unique – pairings of bones and leather, resin and metal to create futuristic shapes out of primeval ingredients. All of her work is hand made in her studio in Bologna, Italy, and can be bought in her shop here. Stay tuned for her new collection later this year and check out what she has available now, below.
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