A Good Egg

Luxury Jewelry: Stephanie Simek has a true eye for the unusual (pun intended: her most recognized pieces include her immensely popular eyelash necklaces) and this piece fits into her repertoire beautifully: the gold quail egg necklace.

Don't let the 23-karat gold leaf lining the inside of the shell fool you: these are real egg shells; Japanese quail egg shells to be exact. Their insides are filmed by hand with gold leaf and the effect is unlike anything you'll see on chains elsewhere. The inside of the shell is the perfect environment for light, allowing the gold film to do its job impeccably: the shell simply glows from inside-out.



Wearing Stephanie Simek's handcrafted pieces doesn't mean anxiety, either: each shell receives a healthy coating of plastic for strength. And, just in case you were worried about showing up to the party wearing the same ol' egg around your neck as someone else, rest assured: each shell is naturally speckled and dotted with unique markings and varies slightly in size, so no two look alike.

Simek, a New York photographer/performance artist/designer has always been bold in her concepts but this necklace strikes a new note altogether. Hanging on eighteen inches of thread-like chain, her organic concept shines as the focal point, almost too beautiful to touch. Now who knows where to find gold-dipped twig earrings?