Sunday, November 14, 2010

Bone Jewelry Creations in my Etsy Shop

Over the years I've made jewelry and art from the bones I've found, for myself and friends. Now I'm offering to you some new jewelry pieces, bone beads and other bone/teeth supplies in my BoneLust Etsy Shop.

I want you to be aware that I never have nor ever will harm or kill an animal for my bone collection or for the animal remains used/sold here.

Real Animal Jaw Pendant Necklaces

I've worn a lot of animal jaw bones over the years. Now I want to share some new pieces with fellow bone lovers. Each one is a one-of-a-kind handmade piece. I try to pair up charms and other items with each that best suit the jaw. Usually the charms are vintage and/or found. Some of the jaws are even vintage. This is an ongoing series. I will have fox jaws up next.

Cat Jaw & Vintage Virgin Mary Charm Pendant
Cat Jaw Pendant and Vintage Virgin Mary Charm

Opossum Jaw and Budding Branch Pendant
Opossum Jaw Pendant and Budding Flower Branch Charm

Vintage Rabbit Jaw & Abalone Cross Pendant
Rabbit Jaw with Abalone Cross and Indian Head Coin Charm

Full selection here - Bone and Teeth Pendants

Glass Vial Pendants with Real Animal Remains

Large Glass Vial  Pendant: Mammal Tail Bones & Vintage Virgin Mary Charm
Mammal Tail Bones and Vintage Virgin Mary Charm

I love the idea of having a tiny natural history specimen jar to wear or hang on your car's rear view mirror. Or put in your cabinet of curiosities. "Specimens" can vary from any number of animal bones or teeth, to porcupine quills, sharks teeth, snake skin... etc.

Small Glass Vial Pendants with Various Charms: Snake Vertebrae, Porcupine Quills & Shark Teeth
Snake Vertebrae, Porcupine Quills and Shark Teeth

Small Glass Vial Pendant: Mammal Bones & Lucky Charm
Mammal Bones and Lucky Charm

Full selection here - Glass Vial Bone Pendants

Bone Beads & Teeth for Your Jewelry & Crafts

I have lots of found bones and teeth for your own jewelry and craft projects. As well as overstock items I'm willing to pass on. Some are already beads ready to string up or use on a pendant...

Curved Rectangle Carved Bone Beads - 1

Full selection here of Bone and Teeth Beads

... and others are ones I've found, cleaned and whitened and left as they are.

Before:

BONELUST - Prepping for "Nothing But Teeth" Project 3

BONELUST - Peroxide Whitening American Alligator Teeth

After:

Wild Boar Teeth - 4

Two Large Teeth Set 2 - 1

Full selection here of Bones and Teeth (and eventually Skulls)

Let me know if you have any requests, I do custom orders! I also have lots of new pieces in the works - lockets, teeth jewelry, earrings, brass insects, clock part jewelry and much more to come. Also, all of my pendants come with your choice from 4 different chain styles.

You can purchase any of my items directly through me paying via PayPal. So you don't have to have an Etsy account. Add me at Facebook for sneak peaks and previews BEFORE they are listed on Etsy. You would be able to buy items directly from me there before they are available to the general public.

You can also see my bone art and related photography in a previous post - Bone Creations & Memento Mori Prints in my Etsy Shop

My BoneLust photography has since been moved to my BoneLust Etsy shop. See the full selection of photo prints here - Memento Mori Photo Prints

And if you see an image in any of my Flickr BONELUST sets that you are interested in purchasing just contact me to work out the details here - jana@gato-ranch.com

Monday, October 25, 2010

Misc iPhone BoneLust Photos

Bag of Bones

Ready to make jewelry and art with these cleaned bones.

Wild Boar Head, Jaw & Tail in Cage

Letting the insects and nature do their job.

Frozen Cedar Waxwing, Gift

This was given to me by a friend. He found it dead in his yard. Not a very common bird to find in this area.

Roadside Opossum Find

Very excited to find a full opossum skeleton.

Excited to Find Denatured Alcohol at my Local Hardware Store

For preserving specimens.

Roadside Find, Huge Set of Deer Ribs & Spine

I hope to find some one day not chewed up by animals.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Bone Creations & Memento Mori Prints in my Etsy Shop

Over the years I've made jewelry and other creations from the bones I've found.

Recently I decided to start getting a bit more serious about this and offer up my work at my Etsy shop for fellow bone lovers to purchase.

Yesterday I listed my first creation there - Upcycled Memento Mori Shadow Box - Real Rat Skull, Fungi, and Moss

Upcycled Memento Mori Shadow Box 1 Macro - Real Rat Skull, Fungi, and Moss

This shadow box was carefully created by me. The skull is from my own personal collection. The fungi and moss came from high in the branches of the trees in my yard. Only falling to the ground during strong storms. After which I carefully collect, clean and dry them. All pieces are one of a kind, and in very limited supply.

I want you to be aware that I never have nor ever will kill or harm any animal for my bone collection.

Upcycled Memento Mori Shadow Box 1 - Real Rat Skull, Fungi, and Moss

The shadow box measures 6.5 inches by 6.5 inches. And 1.75 inches deep. Layers from top to bottom are A) glass B) 1st white matte C) 2nd black matte D) bone, moss and fungi creation E) back board. There is a hook on the back to hang the shadow box to your wall. Or it would also look nice in your cabinet of curiosities!

I've been working on different concept ideas of what else I'll make in the future. Here is an early image of my ideas becoming reality. I'm working on finishing my second shadow box as we speak.

Bone Art Concept Ideas in Progress

My Etsy shop is mainly my high quality photo prints.

I have several Memento Mori Prints that may also be of interest to you.

Here are some I currently have to offer:

Dead Yellow-rumped Warbler

PHOTO PRINT - Memento Mori 1b

PHOTO PRINT - Memento Mori 1a PHOTO PRINT - Memento Mori 2c PHOTO PRINT - Memento Mori 2a


Self Portrait with Deer Skull

BONELUST - Self Portrait with White-tailed Deer Skull 3 - Ver2 B&W

Dead Jellyfish and Portuguese Man o' War

Thanksgiving at Grayton Beach State Park - Tiny Dead Man-o-War in My Hand (This print is for sale.)

PHOTO PRINT - 8x10 ONLY: Jellyfish 2 PHOTO PRINT - Portuguese Man o' War 1


If you see an image in any of my Flickr BONELUST sets that you are interested in purchasing just contact me to work out the details here - jana@gato-ranch.com

My photo prints are high quality and very inexpensive. It only costs $20 including shipping throughout the United States for an 8x10. If you are outside the United States and interested in making a purchase please email me at the address previously mentioned above. I also offer my photos in various poster sizes.

Also, you can purchase any of my prints directly through me paying via PayPal. So you don't have o have an Etsy account.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

The Ones That Got Away - Part 1

Every now and then I come across a great potential bone find. You know, a dead animal. Roadkill, natural death, hunting remains, death by illness, dog treats or in some other form.

Back in April of 2006, I was driving through the back woods near my home with my work crew to do some field work on the Suwannee River. I was driving my car separate because I'd be heading home before the research was done.

Looking over to the livestock pasture of a local rancher I spotted this:

BONELUST - Dead Cow 5

Right then I knew I'd be back to get photos and try to see if it would be possible to return on a later date for skeletal remains.

BONELUST - Dead Cow 2
Click on photos for larger versions.


I got these photos heading home. Amazingly it didn't reek of death. I wondered what had caused this great beast to die but didn't want to chance getting shot to get a closer look.

BONELUST - Dead Cow 1


Beyond this cow were tiny donkey grazing in the same pasture, and just to the right of this guy was another pasture of cattle.

BONELUST - Dead Cow 3
Note the ear tag.


I found it interesting that it seemed to have died in one of those holes I've seen horses and cattle roll around in. Strangest was that there were no vultures there and not even any circling above. That's unheard of.

The fur patches missing and the way the fur lays says it had been laying there for maybe a week already, and been rained on.

BONELUST - Dead Cow 4


Barbed wire fence = private property. But still, it would be easy to jump this spot to return for the remains but I imagine I wasn't the only person that thought the same thing. It was gone when I came back by.

I'm going to assume the rancher or someone in his family had first "dibs", on that beautiful skull anyway.

I hope to get another horned cattle skull like this again one day. I had one as a child from my grandfather's farm. But it mysteriously vanished along with the rest of my collection one Summer.