Not necessarily a new theme in jewelry design, but still interesting, it seems many jewelry designers are returning to nature for inspiration. Especially popular are animals like elephants, giraffes, and lions.

Lizzie Scheck (jewelry designer for stars like Brittany Spears and Angelina Jolie) has a number of pieces sporting the elephant has her lucky jewelry charm. From her website: " Lizzie designs to reflect and enhance the unique style of the wearer. " Being a designer is all about being an individual. I never follow a trend simply because everyone is craving it - I design pieces that I believe in and that represent me," says Lizzie. " Style is a means of expression and is how you present yourself to the world."

Elephant pendant set with pavé diamonds and a single sapphire eye.
• 14-karat white gold pendant, chain, and findings.
• 0.14 total carat weight.
• Lobster clasp.
• 16"L.



Available at Neiman MarcusChristine Laaban of Babylone has a collection inspired by elephants as well...

though sorry I couldn't show a few to you here. Her whole site is set up as a kind of slide show, so you'll just have to go over and enjoy the show some time:
www.babyloneparis.com/.

Lyn & Luz have a large nature inspired collection including cuff bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. These are really bold pieces. I liked the story included on the site about the two designers as well: " Sabrina Ramos, avid shopper and non-profit grant writer, and Wendy Nichol, former buyer/product developer, spent many an evening in their Brooklyn apartments leafing through magazines and other various fashion pages, dreaming up designs and aesthetic ideals that they hoped would one day materialize into a veritable project. They both shared a love and passion for the perfect dress, shoe, or pair of black pants, as well as an appreciation for independent designers who made art that was wearable, beautiful, and daring all at the same time.

After numerous tooling and experimenting with metals, skins, and other findings, they realized they had developed a product that fit perfectly into their vision of organic, original, and versatile: jewelry that they themselves could wear, and share with other women who knew style. [...] What has emerged is a collaboration of edgy creativity and individualism. Lyn & Luz does not resemble any other product out there, and that is the ultimate goal; to form something that every woman feels fabulous wearing, and knows that she is only one of a handful of people who owns it."

Cuff bracelet
" The cuff is constructed by hand and polished to a perfect gold shine. On the front of the cuff is a tall vintage giraffe charm dating from 1970s, the giraffe is 2.5" wide. The cuff is 2.75" in width and 6" in length."




Cobra Earrings
" Brass with Metallic purple cobra and 14K gold French wires."




Available at Virgin Threads