Pigeon droppings may be smelly and disgusting, but did you know they could also be an inspiration for jewelry? Don’t worry, no one’s actually putting droppings in jewelry. But an English artist is making broaches that resemble the shape, size and color of pigeon poo.
30-year-old Frances Wadsworth-Jones, from Ealing, West London, has created a new line of broaches called ‘Heaven Sent’. Each piece in the collection is made from crushed semi-precious and precious gems like black diamonds, sapphires and tourmaline. The gems are set together in imitation of splattered pigeon droppings.
Ms. Wadsworth-Jones said that the idea for the collection came to her during her student days in 2008, when she traveled every day from Ealing to the Royal College of Art. “I like to try and find beauty in the unexpected and I quite often look at the floor. Ealing is great for inspiration,” she said. The collection “plays on the idea” that bird droppings landing on you brings good luck.
“People must think I’m mad because I have to take pictures of poo too. I’ve got hundreds.” She uses these pictures as reference to design the broaches. When asked about the reason behind her unusual choice of design, she said: “The stain is very intimate, something that you wouldn’t want and you’re turning it into something beautiful.”
I’m not sure how popular these poo-broaches are, but Ms. Wadsworth-Jones claims that she has sold a lot of them in the Netherlands. “You definitely need a sense of humor to wear one,” she confessed. And a lot of money, of course. Each one costs about £2,500 (US $4,000). English musician Jarvis Cocker is said to be one of her clients (he shopped from a different collection).
‘Heaven Sent’ is included in the ‘Made in London’ exhibition at the Museum of London, and will be on display until April.
Sources: BBC, Nothing to do with Arbroath
