Abandoned Comb Amulet by Derrick R. Cruz:
The alarming en masse disappearance of honeybees worldwide (Colony Collapse Disorder) is the inspiration for The Abandoned Comb Amulet.I can't tell from the site whether there are more for sale, and if so, what the price is. Here's the companion blog, featuring more artwork created to help bees. Via.
The necklace is a bittersweet collaboration with nature: a honeycomb pendant sculpted by bees, crafted of solid 18 karat gold and captured in honey harvested from a rooftop hive in Brooklyn. Confined by a three inch hexagonal sugar-glass pyramid, The Abandoned Comb Amulet is defined by a Solomonic dilemma. A choice must be made to forcefully exhume the honey-drenched gold, violently shattering and consuming its casing, or to recognize value in its current form, nurturing a natural deterioration and the gradual revelation of treasure within.
THE PROCESS
A unique and lengthy production process renders each Abandoned Comb Amulet one-of-a-kind. The process begins with abandoned honeycomb gathered from rooftop hives. Using the ancient “lost-wax” tradition, the honeycomb wax is ultimately destroyed, burned away and replaced by molten gold. The result is a perfect golden replica of the original honeycomb.
Broken into unique combinations of hexagons, the individual pendant is clearly part of a greater whole. Each piece is cleaned and assembled into a 16 to 21 inch gold necklace, then sealed into a handmade sugar-glass pyramid filled with honey from the same Brooklyn rooftop. The final creation is a fragile balance of the natural and the manmade, shielded by glass, imprisoned in its own pristine environment.
A special thank you to The Brooklyn Bee, PapaBubble Caramels Artesans, Susanne Goetz and Austin Priebe. Photos by Gisel Florez.
25% of the proceeds will benefit local beekeeping efforts by The Brooklyn Bee. No bees were displaced to create The Abandoned Comb Amulet. For more information about Colony Collapse Disorder visit www.ANewHive.org.
*Previously: Jurassic Amber Soap.
*Buy amber fossils at eBay.
