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Wild Art
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June 2012
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by Brenda Potts
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Category: Gettin` Outdoors
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I'm sure you've heard of "shotgun weddings," but how about the bullet wedding band? It's actually a beautiful piece of jewelry, but then again, I do love rifle hunting. Now you too can wear your outdoor passion in a finely crafted ring from Titanium Buzz.
The skilled designers at Titanium Buzz (www.titanium-buzz.com) combine the best of certain metals like titanium or cobalt with natural products or nature-inspired designs to create uniquely beautiful jewelry. After looking through the website I am having a very hard time choosing a favorite piece. It's a toss-up between the stone-inlay rings, the deer track ring, and the camo rings with tension-set diamonds.
If you are going to pop the question and your future spouse is an outdoor lover, perhaps the camo rings are your perfect expression of love. The camouflage engagement band and tension-set diamond camo ring feature cobalt chrome. You may choose between "real tree" or "mossy oak" camo inlay.
According to their website, "Colbalt, a newer metal to the jewelry industry, is making a big splash thanks to its lovely bright white color and durable characteristics. Although it resembles platinum, it's a fraction of the cost."
Another jewelry designer whose talents I greatly admire is Drake Taylor. His Little "D" Designs (www.littleddesigns.com) are handcrafted using natural stone, glass bead, antler, horn and custom-designed pewter charm and pendant pieces. Born with a rare form of dwarfism called Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism (MOPD Type 2), Drake also has been diagnosed with MoyaMoya, a rare blood vessel disorder of the brain. He began designing and making jewelry in 2007, which has allowed him "to explore and excel in his creative spirit as he overcomes his physical and cognitive challenges." His custom-designed turquoise necklace is on my wish list.
Artisans are always coming up with new ways to incorporate nature in their artistic creations. Rick Lowry and Jake Jacobson can "transform your prized trophy from a raw, organic specimen to an exotic, one-of-a-kind showpiece." The artists at Artistic Metal Concepts (www.artisticmetalconcepts.com) have more than 20 years of combined experience in taxidermy but offer more than the standard mounted workmanship. They have a patented cold metal application that preserves all the intricate detail of the original trophy.
Specializing in North American and African game, they can use nickel-silver, bronze, brass, copper and pewter. I love the European mounting style, but these guys take the natural beauty of the animal to a whole new level. I saw some of their concepts at the Iowa Deer Classic and they were stunning.
Speaking of European mounts (skull with antlers intact), I have several in my office and quite a few of them are still on shelves. They aren't the easiest things to hang on the wall, until now. Jon Eichorn has created a beautiful European mounting bracket that is a real work of art. His company, Skull-Lok (www.skull-lok.com), makes a variety of brackets that enable you to turn the mount in the best direction for its place in the room.
There seem to be plenty of outdoor-related creations limited only by the imagination of some very talented folks. I'll be sure to keep you posted when I discover more wild art.
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