a cluster o' love for cluster jewellery

One of the things I love about sharing this blog with Lindsay is how often we're thinking about the same things, or drooling over the same colour schemes, or wanting to try the same kind of projects - even though we now live thousands of kilometers away from each other. (Boo to that last part).

Recently I've been noticing a few jewellery designers who are creating work similar to the kilt pins that Lindsay mentioned in her last post. I love the look of clustered jewellery (or jewelry?). The unexpected combinations of colours and shapes can be quite striking, and I love how these works often seem to have random compositions, like items all piled up and jumbled on top of one another. If you've ever played with a box of buttons, moving them around and stacking them into heaps, I think you know what I mean.

This beautiful pendant by Crafty Ass Chick is one of those pieces that's in one way very simple, but uses interesting arrangements of shapes and stunning colour combinations. (Crafty Ass Chick has other jewellery availble for sale online in her store.)

I especially enjoy it when cluster jewellery involves random bits and pieces, like old buttons, small plastic toys and other knick knacks. Enter Grainne Morton. This Scottish artist takes those random bits and pieces and incorporates them into works using metal and enamel. Some of my faves from her collection: playful flower pins, these fun dangling earrings with ribbons and charms, and especially this gorgeous blue cluster brooch (pictured here), or this one, which looks like the plastic parts kit you get with model airplane kits. I also love the simple elegance of this white button cluster brooch.

For more afforable cluster jewellery, check out Squidlicks, an talented artist based in Washington, DC. I recently bought a necklace from Squidlicks (pictured here) made from green and pink plastic beads, flowers, and even a giraffe. SO much fun. How could you wear a bright green giraffe around your neck and not have fun? Impossible!