First came the cats—little heads in 18k gold or silver with perky ears and notched whiskers—for her Catbird account in Brooklyn, N.Y., before Christmas, but Elisa Solomon quickly realized that those wouldn’t be the only animals in her metal menagerie.
“The dog was created about a month later, when my mom said I had to make a dog-head ring to go with the cat-head ring,” the Wyckoff, N.J.–based jewelry designer explains to JCK. But those were just the beginning. “I have been asked to make them as a necklace, and those are available for custom order, too,” she adds.
Being an animal lover herself (Solomon has a one-year-old German Shepherd pup named Bear), making pet-themed pieces was a no-brainer.
“My dog Bear and his sister Bella—my mom’s 11-year-old shepherd—are definitely my only influence for the dog-head ring,” she says. “I spend so much time with them, and we have such a bond. They are humane, kind, loving, and perceptive. I really enjoy making animal-themed pieces because I find that it is a universal theme. People love their animals. Paul McCartney once said, ‘You can judge a man’s true character by the way he treats his fellow animals.’ This has always resonated with me, and I will continue to make pieces inspired by nature and the animals that inhabit it as well as pieces inspired by my truly loved and adored pets.”
But animal heads came after her bone motifs, which she debuted shortly after adopting Bear. What’s next? Whatever the animal lovers want.
“People have reacted with a lot of excitement when I post animal pieces because there are so many people who love, love, love their pets!” says Solomon.
Ylang23.com also carries the animal rings, and recently posted a picture of its buys to the store’s Instagram account. Retail prices for the animal rings start at $110 for silver and $410 for 18k gold.
Kitten ring in sterling silver with black diamond eyes and a pink sapphire mouth, $110
Puppy ring in sterling silver with brown diamond eyes and a black diamond mouth, $110
Kitten ring in 18k yellow gold with black diamond eyes and a pink sapphire mouth, $410
Puppy ring in 18k pink gold with brown diamond eyes and a black diamond mouth, $450
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