Project Turquoise Skull

Our friend Bryce has inspired us to get out the beads for something other than jewelry. It all started when she spotted this cool turquoise encrusted skull (see image below) at the super chic shop C&A Camp in Charlottesville, VA. It was love at first site -Bryce knew she had to have it but the owners would not sell it. Apparently it was the store mascot named Jimmy and they would not part with him. It didnt look like Jimmy and Bryce had a future together. But there had to be other Jimmys out there. . .

Jimmy the mascot at C&A Camp

(The Warehouse District - Charlottesville Va, 22902 - 434.973.5555)

After some research the closest thing she could find to her original love were a few pieces on ebay. But they were almost $4,000. While these works of art are surely worth that much it got the creative juices flowing and a project was born.

Turquoise Embelleshed Longhorn found on ebay here.

Semi-precious stones on Longhorn by Santa Fe artist Ali Launer. Image courtesy of J. Mackie, LTD

Turquoise Mosaic Cow Skull found on Etsy here. Made with turquoise, carnelian gemstone, translucent green quartz, smalti and glass tile.

The Project Begins:

Here is the skull bought on ebay for 32$.

There are so many different color, grades and shapes of turquoise nuggets. Bryce decided on a decent grade with a lot of shine and mixed the medium and small size to get a varied look. She opted for the green turquoise with black and brown matrix as opposed to the bright blue turquoise without matrix. These beads can be found to the public at Fire Mountain.

And here is the final masterpiece that was made by Bryce with super glue, turquoise beads and a vintage skull found on Ebay. She decided to cover only the front to give it a less overwhelming presence in her den. So unbelievably cool and creative, not to mention a lot less expensive than the ones out there. I have a feeling that this is going to add more Bohemia and Funk to the already glam Harris household.

In case you want to see more inspiration here are some other encrusted skulls:

Herb Williams created this piece with Crayolas! Amazing! What rich color. This piece is available on Vivre for a mere 14,000$ - it is signed by the artist, dated and titled with edition numbers. Cleat-mounted for flush wall hanging. Made of multiple shades of crayons. 26" x 28" x 22".

BULl Sculpture by Herb Williams, $14,000.00 on VIVRE.com

Suzan Fellman created this deer skull with Swarovski crystal-encrusted antlers. Measurements are approximate: 24"-30" high and 16"-24" wide. Weight: 9-13 lbs.

DEER SKULL WITH CRYSTAL ANTLERS

by Suzan Fellman, $1,800.00 on Vivre.com

A graffiti covered skull from C&A Camp (Jimmys home).