Spotlight: Steampunk the Catherinette Way

There's a Steampunk jewelry shop on Etsy called Catherinette Rings, that deserves mention on this blog. Until today, I assumed that Catherinette Rings was a woman, but it's a team, consisting of Catherine and Daniel Proulx of Montreal, Canada - he's one of the rare Men of Etsy. Daniel is the creator of the Steampunk section of their shop, which also features colorful, lighter-themed and colored rings and bracelets. I spotted the Steampunk rings last year in Etsy Treasuries, on the Etsy Front Page, and on Flickr. He has a blog as well, which makes for interesting reading, and *giveaways*. His jewelry is a marvel of craftmanship, texture, sensual color and variety - not only rings, but necklaces, bracelets and earrings are available for the lover of Steam and Unusual jewelry. The rings look organic - I almost expect them to start buzzing and whirring, and for the jewel "eye" to light up. I'm not a metalsmith, but those coils look awfully perfect to my eye and hard to achieve without lots of practice. I've chosen my faves of his current collection for this blog post. The jewelry is made from various metals like brass and copper, with glass, lampwork glass, metal and gemstone beads.

These beautiful pictures are the property of Daniel Proulx.

Stunning necklaces here: Relic circle necklace, Labradorite pendant, Smoky Quartz clock gear necklace, Mysterious Amber Bead Necklace. Hard to pick a favorite, but I am drawn to the Smoky Quartz because of the interesting textures.

I am in love with the bracelet on the left! The large central gear is a great metal color and the arrangement of the stones, beads and curved wire is so dynamic. In the center are some wonderfully understated earrings that say "Steampunk" so quietly that they will go with practically any style of jewelry already in your collection. The last bracelet features some wonderful lampwork glass beads that happily remind me of vanilla fudge swirled ice cream. The pattern works perfectly with the aesthetic - it's not a bead that I would associate with Steampunk, but it works!

Ahhh...the rings. Hard to choose my favorite...aren't they all gorgeous? The amber bead with the clock gears at center bottom row is just spectacular and if I won the lottery, that's what I would buy, yet I am also drawn to the serenity of its Moonstone sister next door, as well as the reptile eye ring in the upper left. Perverse!