We spend a lot of time talking about reef aquarium geekery but this weekend we encountered something really special at the Golden Colorado Fine Arts Festival. One jewelry maker, Sheppard Hill Designs from Paonia, CO was displaying a whole case of artfully crafted marine and ocean themed jewelry. We’re not just talking sharks, seahorse and starfish either, it was the plethora of exquisite invertebrates that really caught our eye. Furthermore, the large designs were below $200 and the smaller ones were priced for less than $100.
The Nautilus above and the octopus rings are clearly the flagship designs of the Sheppard Hill marine jewelry series. These large ostentatious sterling silver cephalopods are larger designs that protrude significantly from the ring they are riding but when the design is a piece of art, who wouldn’t want to wear these awesome miniature sculptures? Included in the reef-themed lineup were giant clams, shrimp, an anemone and several reef scenes.
Alas, all of these ring designs were of a more feminine nature so we’re not likely to see a surge in reef jewelry toting middle aged guys at the reef shows. On the other hand, this line of reef jewelry might be exactly what the reefing dad or husband would prefer to see worn by his significant other. You get a nice Australian Scolymia, she gets a nice ring, sounds like a pretty fair deal. Lots and lots more pictures after the break.
