Subject Object Blends Art and Emotions in New Line of Charms

By Karen Dybis | November 20, 2025

Canadian artist Bramble Lee Pryde created the Existential Dreadlings, a new collection from Pryde’s brand Subject Object, to honor jewelry’s role as wearable art, protective symbol, and conversation starter.

These sculptural charms are little “guardians,” Pryde says—characters with personalities and the power to address emotions, such as fear, grief, or isolation. The artist (who prefers using the pronoun they) hopes the pieces offer comfort to wearers while also serving style and adding a touch of dark humor to their jewelry wardrobes.

Each Dreadling is made in sterling silver or 14k gold with optional diamonds, sapphires, or pearls. The charms are cast and finished in Pryde’s Calgary studio, where they make jewelry for Subject Object as well as larger-scale artworks.

“What began as strange sculptures of my own anxieties grew into guardians others could carry. Each piece is both a jewel and a co-survivor,” Pryde says.

Dreadlings Subject Object — *Dreadlings guardian charms, at right, include (clockwise from left) Threnody, Solastagia, Vaultine, Clepsydra, Fathom, and Aether.*

With the Existential Dreadlings, which debuted in October, Pryde pushes the boundaries of what fine jewelry can be and offers new ways for people to express themselves through wearable art. They’d like the pieces to get people talking about vulnerability.

Before and during the coronavirus pandemic, Pryde’s mother, younger brother, and two close friends died. In the process of working through feelings of grief, Pryde designed the sculptures that became the Existential Dreadlings.

“The idea came out of my own personal collapse and the global collapse,” they say. “The question became how to sit with discomfort. We have to name it. And if you can tether it to wit, it helps you cope in a different way.

“It doesn’t take away from it. It doesn’t minimize what you’re going through.… It’s about anchoring yourself to the complexities of what you’re going through and supporting you.”

Each figure in the 22-piece collection tackles a different feeling or experience. Hollowyn, for example, is associated with isolation and solitude, while the Edward Gorey–like character of Cumu, is a “doomscrolling absorber” who helps those overwhelmed by digital information. Others include Vaultine, who holds memories, and Threnody, to support wearers as they carry the weight of grief.

THRENODY subject object — *Lore cards for all the Existential Dreadlings, such as this one for Threnody, can be viewed on Subject Object’s website.*

To make the experience of selecting a Dreadling easier, Pryde created a quiz on the Subject Object website that identifies one’s archetype within the collection. Every charm comes with an illustrated “lore card” detailing the character’s mythology and special form of guardianship.

“It’s hard to connect with people digitally, especially with such a nuanced and sense concept,” Pryde says. “Coming from a fine art background and working with galleries, you can find that you tend to word things in a way that aren’t as accessible. It’s important to talk about things in a plain language that people understand.”

While Pryde doesn’t consider themselves a contemporary or art jewelry creator, they hope consumers and industry members will respect the effort to move their art into the fashion and fine jewelry space.

“This is refined work, but it also speaks to human error. I carve every wax by hand and I cast my own prototypes, so you see my fingerprint on every piece,” Pryde says, adding, “It’s perfect jewelry for imperfect ideas.”

Top: The Existential Dreadlings is a new collection of charms from the brand Subject Object, created by artist Bramble Lee Pryde. (Photos courtesy of Subject Object)