Congratulations on your new jewelry! This is where you can find out more about your jewelry and how to take care of it.

What do the specimens in my jewelry symbolize?

As time goes on, I’ve come to believe that it’s best for each person to develop their own relationship and associations with their piece. However, I’ve created a Specimen Symbolism Guide to get you started.

How do I take care of my jewelry?

Resin is a reasonably durable material, but there are a few things you can do to keep it in good shape for years to come.

Avoid storing your pieces in direct sunlight. Long-term light exposure will cause resin to yellow and some natural materials such as snakeskin to fade.

Avoid submerging in water, such as during bathing or swimming.

Store separately from sharp or rough jewelry to avoid scratching the surface.

Resin may be wiped down with a soft cloth to remove fingerprints and oil.

Is my jewelry hypoallergenic?

All the metal findings are nickel-free, but particularly sensitive individuals may still experience a reaction (especially with earrings).

If that’s the case for you, you can use some needle-nose pliers to gently open the loop on the earring hooks and change them out them for a different metal (many craft stores sell gold, silver, and platinum-plated earring wires). A local jewelry shop can likely do this for you as well.

Where do you get your specimens?

I go by the “dead when we met” rule of ethics when it comes to animal sourcing. No animals were harmed to create your jewelry. Animal bones were either found in nature or harvested from bird of prey pellets gathered from a local nature center. Insects were found dead by myself or others. In a few cases, some parts come from animals hunted for food or euthanized for medical reasons.