Things in the jewelry industry got a little weird this year.
Here is a roundup of the 10 kookiest jewelry stories from 2013, which includes way too many bodily functions.
What was your favorite weird jewelry story of the year? Let us know in the comments section or tweet @JCKMagazine.
1. My Necklace Is Type O, What’s Yours?
Did we learn nothing from Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie?
Florida jeweler Adam Davenport debuted a jewelry line earlier this year that requires a drop of blood from a customer’s special someone.
This would be really hard to surprise someone with without appearing to be seriously creepy.
2. These Boots Were Made for Sparkling
On Dec. 4, industry group Antwerp World Diamond Centre unveiled what it’s billing as the “World’s Most Expensive Shoes”: boots covered in diamonds totaling 1,550 cts.
Oh yeah, the boots are said to be for sale and are valued at $3.1 million.
3. Here’s Looking at…Your Gross Eyeball Jewelry…
Gah. Egads. Stop it.
A step too far: eyeball jewellery piercing. This is one’s not for me. http://t.co/aFIKZnXC9S
— Maria Doulton (@TheJewelleryEd) November 27, 2013
4. Bracelets Made From Bomb Material Support Peace
Unconventional material? Maybe, but it’s in support of a good cause.
Elizabeth Suda has found a way to create a political statement with jewelry. Suda, a New York City–based jewelry designer created the peaceBOMB line made from bomb debris remaining from the Vietnam War. Consumers are able to “buy back the bomb”—the online purchase of a single ($20) bracelet clears 3 meters of bomb-littered land in Laos.
5. Sparkle Like an Egyptian
In August, Researchers at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology at University College London confirmed that 5,000-year-old Egyptian beads previously thought to be made from iron were made from hammered pieces of meteorites.
Sadly, this may be the close we ever come to diamond planet jewelry.
This Ancient Egyptian Jewelry Came from Space: http://t.co/rB2Wr6mcF4
— io9 (@io9) August 20, 2013
6. Breast Milk Jewelry Is Guaranteed to Make You Lactose Intolerant
Yup, this is a thing.
Breast Milk Jewelry the Latest for Nursing Moms http://t.co/IT3QcTfHRb
— ABC News (@ABC) May 7, 2013
7. This Money Clip Is the One Who Knocks
Coco Corral, a jewelry designer from Biddeford, Maine, created a money clip for Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston. Her quote is one of our favorites from this year:
“I didn’t know of the actor Bryan Cranston. And now there isn’t hardly more of a bad mofo in recent pop culture history than the bad mofo-ness of [his character] Walter White. Holy moly, we could not be more thrilled and proud! It’s amazing!”
8. Veggies in the Sky With Diamonds
A 23-year-old woman in the United Kingdom found a diamond engagement ring while sifting through sprouts at a market, according the Lancashire Telegraph. She started a social media campaign to track down the ring’s rightful owner and is asking people for their missing ring’s description in order to avoid reuniting it with the wrong person.
9. Chemotherapy Hair Loss Transformed Into Diamonds
This entry is more inspirational than it is kooky. SKY and LIVI debuted a service that allows women who are undergoing radiation to turn their fallen hair into a lab-grown diamond, which is then set into a pendant necklace. Finished pieces, available in five different styles in 18k white and yellow gold (though custom designs are available), serve as “symbols of her endurance to beat this dreaded disease,” according to company founder and CEO—and industry veteran—Anjanette Sinesio.
10. Pooch Pearls
Last, but not least, a Great Dane wearing pearls.
Check out more animals wearing bling in Jennifer Heebner’s Jewelry & Pets roundup.
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