FISH JEWELRY

Over years of collecting costume jewelry, there are few genres that I come across infrequently. Hair or memorial jewelry is always a score but for me, fish accessories – preferably pins – really hit the spot. I’ve tried to meditate and search for the deeper meaning behind this mild fixation, what with various belief systems associating fish with feeding the masses, or with otherworldly wisdom from the deep unknown waters, but in the end, I just think these fish pieces are hilarious. Cats, snakes, and birds are the dominant faces of the jewelry kingdom, all with relatively standard facial expressions. And maybe it’s the no-eyelids thing, but my fish collection reveals a variety of attitudes that I can’t help but find funny.

On the other hand, jewelry made of seashells? Can’t stand it.

Text and photographs by guest contributor Eve Tobolka.