Be Jeweled

Selecting your jewelry isn’t always easy. You like a bit of bling, but run the risk of sending potential hookups running for the hills à la the flashy gold friendship bracelet Joey gave Chandler in a memorable Friends episode (work with us, please).

Rather than fashion precious metals into simple, boxy designs, Derrick Cruz of Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons (Purveyor of Dark and Uncommon Goods) takes an artistic approach to designing jewelry.

Each of his haunting pieces has its own set of DNA where potential microscopic imperfections emphasize the object’s individuality.

With the Dark Memento collection, the Brooklyn-based artist assembles a set of anthropologically themed pieces that could double as heirlooms from the Civil War: antiquated looking ram heads, great whales, human hands, and other mammalian objects all composed of various precious materials, appear authoritatively in necklace, key chain, and dog tag form.

It’s vintage Americana minus the kitsch, but most importantly, it won’t have you looking like Liberace.

Available online at Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons and Oak stores.