A New Take on that Popular Swallow Necklace: Untamed Menagerie

I've always been a fan of handmade jewelry, but so often you find pieces uses cheap plastic charms (not that these are bad either, but they wind up being less unique). As such, I'm usually super excited to find work with so much thought put into it.

Untamed Menagerie is one such seller. Well, I should say sellers, plural, since it's a mother and daughter team, and the shop contains creations from both of them. I haven't had the pleasure of dealing with them yet (I had my eye on the lotus blossom necklace, since it was also priced well, but alas, it sold out).

So instead, I've just been looking through their work, going "Wow, that's a really cool concept!" or "You can tell they really put thought into how to make this work." Their main materials are cable chain, stainless steel, and black acrylic; their designs appear to be laser cut.

This is especially true of the hummingbird necklace, which is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen. Aside from necklaces, they also make rings, earrings, and brooches, so they're not just a one-trick pony.

Based on their profile and description of each of their design styles, I'm guessing the lotus blossom and hummingbird are both the mom. So the Carpe Noctembrooch, in which case the "leash" is more of a droopy chain, give a classic twist to a modern, alternative idea.

Other pieces of note:
Alice-inspired necklace -- "We're All Mad Here," indeed!
Melancholy Lashes necklace -- The swirls are so delicate and detailed, I can't help but wonder what the inspiration for the design was. piece is the daughter's work, another one I love. The concept of a bat as a balloon (or pet), and using the chain as the string (leash) to keep it close to the girl is so different! It makes me think of a Threadless tee, but for your neck. Pretty cool, no? Oh, and it can also be made as a