ETSY SPOTLIGHT: VANDERGLAS

Bloggies, I have a confession to make.

Here's the thing... I have a really weird relationship with teeth.
^*klaxon* insane sentence alert! ^

Wait, hear me out...

I'm kind of ambivalent to my own, unless they hurt me or go wonky or I get a Cadbury's eclair stuck in one, but when it comes to representations of gnashers in pictures, drawings, artwork or even jewellery, I become weirdly intrigued. Some of you may even remember when my background to this very blog was that teeth-in-rows print.

I have a solid silver molar pendant on a really cute delicate silver chain that I wear virtually all the time, and a fangs necklace from H&M which I often wear when I'm in a particularly gothic mood. Sometimes I wear both together and it almost always provokes a reaction of "are those TEETH round your neck? Eeew!" 

It's also a desperate wish of mine to one day own a real shark tooth or wolf fang necklace as well... Creepy? Maybe, but something about the weird, unsettling image of teeth alone, like, deviod of gums, really appeals to the creep inside me!

With this in mind, check out these exquisitely disturbing hand-crafted pieced of CHEWELLERY from Vanderglas on Etsy:

Human canine and sterling silver threaded earring

Human molar and sterling silver hook earring & chain

Two human incisors and sterling silver ring

Silver-cast molar and sterling silver ring 

Three human canines and sterling silver ring

Human molar and sterling silver ring

Four human molars and sterling silver two-fingered ring

Yup, these are real sterilised human teeth, donated to artist and jeweller Polly Van Der Glas by willing friends, family members and members of the public.

Since 2005 Polly’s work has centered on materials that were once attached to our bodies: human hair, teeth and fingernails. These materials were at one time part of an intimate, elaborate maintenance ritual. Hair and teeth were brushed, treated with colours and bleaches; fingernails were grown for show, painted and emphasized. When attached to the body, they are central to social values of beauty yet when they become detatched, the meanings they hold drastically transform. Polly examines what occurs when the beautiful body becomes the shed/dead body. How are ideas about beauty destabilised?

Polly has been creating wearable works under the label VAN DER GLAS since 2007. Silversmith qualified (NMIT advanced diploma) and 2006 Fresh! award winner, Polly’s previous study also includes a degree in fashion...

Some of you might be like, BOKE, GTF but I think I can kind of see what she's getting at. In an interview with Vice, Polly says: "Teeth are sentimental and sustainable. I personally feel no emotional connection to precious mined stones, but a lock of a loved one’s hair or a tooth they’ve lost is filled with stories of human experience and individuality."

I kind of like the fact that the four-molar knuckle-duster ring includes one with a mercury filling! I can't help but wonder what the story is behind that...

I can see why this jewellery wouldn't appeal to everyone, but all I know is I am hankering after that single molar sterling silver ring like nobody's business!

Have I lost the plot? What do you guys think?

x

ALSO!!!!! This week I reached 100 followers so thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You guys have no idea how much it means to me when I see that folk are commenting and getting involved in FFS. I've been so lucky to talk to some of you and I've "met" some really awesome, interesting, creative people through this so thanks to everyone who indulges in my mad ramblings. I'm still pondering a giveaway but I need to settle once and for all on the right item. As soon as I have I'll let you all know...

chuffed.com/purehappyinnit :)