Mourning Dove
Mourning Dove
by Meghan Schmiedel
This necklace is inspired by a pristine-appearing dead pigeon I found that ended up being literally stuffed with maggots and worms. What was at first a horrifying discovery soon became mesmerizing as their slick bodies shimmered like gems spilling out from under the wing. It was this strange juxtaposition that influenced my use of beads to transform the physical morbidness of death into something beautiful and enticing. The back features silhouettes of snowdrops—another juxtaposition oddly associated with both innocence and a death to come— cut out to reveal a striking pop of red. While this necklace acts as token of remembrance for the bird, it’s also a reminder to the wearer that there’s an ever-present fluidity not just between beauty and decay but between life and death as well.
watercolor enamel, enamel, copper, sterling silver, seed beads, thread
Pendant: 3" x 1.75" x 31"
2022
Mourning Dove
by Meghan Schmiedel
This necklace is inspired by a pristine-appearing dead pigeon I found that ended up being literally stuffed with maggots and worms. What was at first a horrifying discovery soon became mesmerizing as their slick bodies shimmered like gems spilling out from under the wing. It was this strange juxtaposition that influenced my use of beads to transform the physical morbidness of death into something beautiful and enticing. The back features silhouettes of snowdrops—another juxtaposition oddly associated with both innocence and a death to come— cut out to reveal a striking pop of red. While this necklace acts as token of remembrance for the bird, it’s also a reminder to the wearer that there’s an ever-present fluidity not just between beauty and decay but between life and death as well.
watercolor enamel, enamel, copper, sterling silver, seed beads, thread
Pendant: 3" x 1.75" x 31"
2022
Mourning Dove
by Meghan Schmiedel
This necklace is inspired by a pristine-appearing dead pigeon I found that ended up being literally stuffed with maggots and worms. What was at first a horrifying discovery soon became mesmerizing as their slick bodies shimmered like gems spilling out from under the wing. It was this strange juxtaposition that influenced my use of beads to transform the physical morbidness of death into something beautiful and enticing. The back features silhouettes of snowdrops—another juxtaposition oddly associated with both innocence and a death to come— cut out to reveal a striking pop of red. While this necklace acts as token of remembrance for the bird, it’s also a reminder to the wearer that there’s an ever-present fluidity not just between beauty and decay but between life and death as well.
watercolor enamel, enamel, copper, sterling silver, seed beads, thread
Pendant: 3" x 1.75" x 31"
2022