*page still under construction, sorry!*
On this page I will explain what I make with my deceased beetles.
I will include a gallery of finished products
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After many hours of substrate changes for the larvae, feeding the adults, rearing, breeding beetles, the time will eventually come when the adult beetles pass away. Let’s say that of all the beetles I rear, about 50% dies in immaculate condition with all limbs attached. Those are the specimens that I will clean, pin and preserve.
I take great pride in symmetry and consistency.
My jewelry boils down to mainly 2 methods of working with the beetles I preserve; either cast them in resin, or submerge them in an electrolyte bath for copper e-forming.
Here are some examples:
Electroforming is a very slow process where metal starts to grow on organic matter by means of electricity. The result is 1 strong merged piece of jewelry with a lot of detail and a natural coppery bronzy tone. The plating process is never fully predictable and therefore no 2 identical pieces can be produced, ever. This unique piece of jewelry is as unique as the real beetle underneath.
On average, each piece requires about 4 hours of careful hand work and 30 to 40 hours of plating.
Most of my branding is with natural materials and colors. However, for the copper beetles I chose a more classy and classic packaging – to match their price range.