fucked up name, huh?

Skulls are beyond played out, as we all know. Although it's too widespread a phenomenon to attribute to one person in particular, I tend to level the blame at Hot Topic and Alexander McQueen. There is no longer anything edgy about wearing skull-emblazoned accessories. However, the void for morbid anatomical motifs must be filled, and simple bones fill it quite nicely. The only problem is, they tend to be a bit boring:

I had a serious jones for these Ron Dotson bone pins but after I discovered that I'd missed them on sale at Blackbird, I could no longer justify purchasing them (yet). I'd probably just pin them to the neck of my scarf or sweater.

Julia Deville does some interesting work, like these claw rings (or is it just one ring) along with some taxidermy and leather pieces. She also makes a bone brooch and cufflinks, seen below.

La Garconne's bone offering from someone called Kria. I guess it's unusual in that it has a diamond, but meh.

Lady Grey's mink bone pieces are a little too roughly-hewn for my taste. I thought they had a bangle with rodent skulls on each end, but perhaps I'm confusing them with someone else? Animal skulls are always a more interesting alternative to human skulls. Obviously Pamela Love is well known for her bird skull and talon pieces.

But, if you wanted to take the bone thing to the complete opposite end of the spectrum, this Jennifer Meyer wishbone ring is ... cute? Certainly not all that disturbing.

Honestly, I found countless other examples, but when it comes down to it, a bone is a bone, and to keep it identifiable you can't really make it all that unusual. I still want those Ron Dotson pins, but I won't kid myself into thinking they're unique.

My favorite jewelry brand for all things natural history and creepy, Thorn NYC, is apparently defunct, or at least have not bothered to renew their website license. Bummer, if I could find photos, I'd post the necklace I've been yearning for.

sources: blackbird, julia deville, google images, kabiri