Elevating my fur baby’s jewelry game
As pets become more and more central to our everyday lives, so do their accessories. The pet industry (for food, health, and doodads) have all upped their game when it comes to the family pet. And now jewelry and accessories have now come to the forefront–for both the owner and Rover himself. Adorning your beloved with the best bespoke bling, harnesses, and accessories is quickly becoming the norm.
Indulging your pet
This is not your grandmother’s cut-rate mass-produced dog collar. Fashion house brand for pets, Pagerie, is an ultra-luxury destination for your furry family member. They carry a line of fashion-forward accessories designed especially for the canine set. And sustainability is on their list of must-haves.
What I love about their accessories is the simple elegance of the design. No toxic chemicals are used during the plating process of the hardware; the yarns and leathers are sourced from strictly regulated suppliers. You can be fashionable AND eco-friendly at the same time.
The pear-shaped chain featured in the Línque collar is a unique innovation, custom-designed by PAGERIE engineers and custom-made by their artisans. Holding a patent for its design, this chain stands alone in its distinctive shape. Crafted from surgical-grade stainless steel, the chain is 100% recyclable with hypoallergenic properties that won’t irritate your dog’s sensitive skin. Resistant to rust and corrosion, it’s the safest material for pets. The Linque collar is exceptionally durable, offering dog owners a wise long-term investment.
Indulging you
Jewelry brands and artists are creating custom pieces for fur parents too. And of course, they feature their treasured family member–furry, feathered, or otherwise.
Irene Neuwirth Jewelry is known for unique, one-of-a-kind pieces made with precious- and semi-precious stones. Neuwirth’s affection for her pets started the LA-based jeweler on the road to adding custom animal portraits to her collection more than a decade ago. “I’ve always played around with my dogs with jewelry, or just used my animals as a branding tool,” she said.
According to Sheherazade Goldsmith, the founder of Loquet London, about half of the brand’s custom charms are of pets, with dogs accounting for 70% of that. Despite, or perhaps because of, their small dimensions—5mm by 3mm, or about two-tenths of an inch by slightly more than a tenth of an inch—the charms generally entail highly detailed conversations with clients.
New York-based jewelry designer Renna Brown-Taher created an 18K gold pendant with a hand-engraved image of her client’s beloved and deceased Chihuahua, featuring the dog’s birthstone of the client’s grandmother and brother, along with the words “how I wonder what you are.” Diamond baguettes placed end-to-end encircled the narrow edge, and a small sachet of the pet’s ashes was sealed inside.
A personal favorite of mine is this cameo rendering by the German master gem carver Michael Peuster. Eighty percent of his work is dedicated to animals in a host of forms: cameos, low relief carvings, which project only slightly from the surface on which they are carved, and reverse intaglios—carvings etched into the backs of polished gems, then painted with oils to produce lifelike images with a 3-D effect. Says Mr. Peuster, a carving will be around longer than any photo. Think about the images we have from antiquity. They are carvings,” Mr. Peuster said. “These gemstones will have the same beauty in a thousand years.” I certainly agree.
