Fine jewelry with bite

I'm picky when it comes to spending proper money on jewelry. I like it to be chunky and/or unusual. I'm not a huge fan of diamonds - for the obvious and myriad other reasons. I don't usually do gold either. Too brash, too shiny, too shouty. That doesn't leave room for much.

So it's rather refreshing to be introduced to the twisted works of Bittersweets NY, who do jewelry in silver and gold and diamonds but also have a sense of humour and the macabre.

Bite me! - Vamp rings and hinged vamp pendants

I heart you. No, really. - Beating heart charm

Monkey see, monkey do - monkey skull pendant

Creepy! - gold and silver maggot charms and silver worm bracelet

For those who want something really one of kind they also do a custom service.

Love x Love +Beryll

When I got these photos through from accessories designer Sigmar Berg of +Beryll, it was like he had been reading my mind. Or, possibly, my blog!

I just love the hard edged, spare beauty of these pieces. It's all organic - leather, metal - and utilitarian.

If I had a few hundred pounds to spare I would definitely grab one these:


Holster bag - perfect for cycling on those days when you don't need an entire rucksack. I picked up a similar bag at a charity store in Newcastle for £1. It's all leather and touch wearing and i can just sling it over my shoulder and go.

Asphalt boots - I practically live in my New Look Army boots at the moment. They're comfy and tough and go with everything. So I know these boots would be a good buy that I could wear to death.

Leather cuffs, silver rings, chunky brushed silver necklace. This is the way I like my jewelry, simple, tough, chunky, easy to wear. Luckily, Topman and H&M men's provide cheaper alternatives. Still wouldn't say no to one of those rings!

And my favourite piece of all - dog tags (more war motifs!). What I particularly like about these is that they come in four different colours - red for love, silver for hope, gold for trust and black for faith. I like the black ones - natch - and faith is personally very apt for me right now.

Junk junky

There are few pleasures in life to me than finding a huge junk shop and then foraging for hours, just ferrting about, looking at stuff, imagining who might have used it before. A packed to the rafters junk shop to pass hours is almost a invitation to meditate. A personal journey away from the humdrum routine to a place of wonder and magic.

I visit good junk shops when I have the chance, and I do it early and preferably alone. But until this very minute I had never thought that the junk shop experience could be experienced online. That is, until I got an email introducing me to the delights of Supermarket Sarah. And I have to say it's instant love.

The site is a mess of random items/bits of tat/desireables from clothing to accessories, vintage to contemporary, works of art and bric a brac all flung together in the most delightful and pleasing way. It's almost as good as a real-life rummage. Fantastic.

It get's better from December 1 to 15, Supermarket Sarah is setting up shop in the east end for Christmas shopping extravaganza. All that stuff just waiting to be touched, rummaged through and meditated over. Punters will be provided with golden trolleys (huzzah!) and shown around by freindly shop assistants.
I'll be off to the launch of Dec 1, where I hope to picking up something ridiculous by Fred Butler, like this rocket bra. Fear not, I will report back on all the kitschy glory.

Supermarket Sarah Christmas Extravaganza at Poke, 4th Floor, Biscuit Building, 10 Redchurch Street, E2 7DD. Open by appointment, 9.30am to 6.30pm.

If you can't make it down there you can still get the full virtual junk shop experience on the website.