Last-Minute-Without-Seeming-Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

A Valentine card that comes with a cotton candy bath fizz packs a little extra treat. Funny magnets like this “princess of feral cats” one fit perfectly inside Valentine cards. Rainbow cake, but make it socks! Celebrity keychains make great gifts for men, women and teenagers. Uncork the Valentine’s Day wine in style with a gold beetle corkscrew. Custom stamped jewelry like this “love nest” keychain are Bang-Up Betty’s specialty. A feather quill pen adds a touch of fancy to your life. Sea salt is one of the many flavors of chocolate and candy at Bang-Up Betty.

From gorgeous locally made jewelry to Arkansas-made candles to cards that are laugh-out-loud hilarious, the Bang-Up Betty gift shop and jewelry store in Argenta has something special for your Valentine and extended holiday hours to take the panic out if you’re shopping at the last minute. Our unusual, quirky and colorful shop is absolutely filled with handmade jewelry, funny and sweet cards, kid-friendly knick-knacks, donut bath bombs, thoughtful home decor and clever gifts, including lots of local pottery, art, candles, tea and more. Here are some of our favorite Valentine’s Day gift ideas that’ll make your sweetheart never suspect they were last minute.

Handmade jewelry, like this “strong as hell” necklace, is Bang-Up Betty’s specialty. Our store is filled with hundreds of pieces of Arkansas made jewelry, so you’re sure to find something perfect for your sweetheart whether they’re into strong, motivational mantras or sweet honey bees and golden unicorns.

Once you pick out the perfect piece of jewelry (may we suggest this dolphin necklace from Bang-Up Betty’s ocean-themed Seven Seas Collection), make sure you have a jewelry box that’s as special as what it contains. A gorgeous incense holder on the table next to it doesn’t hurt either.

Our shop is known for its hilarious and unique greeting cards, and these lovey-dovey cards come with a bath bomb built into them. They’re fun for kids and grown ups.

Light up your loved one’s heart and their home with a fun, colorful decorative pillow. Bang-Up Betty has lots of unique and well-curated home decor to make any space special. We love the heart hands pillow for Valentine’s Day.

This gift shop has a smorgasbord of fun socks, like these snack-themed ice pop, rainbow cake, sandwich and lollipop socks.

Don’t forget the kids this Valentine’ Day! Our gift shop is filled with kid-friendly knick-knacks and cards, like these super fun donut bath bombs. Looking for more kid gift ideas? Check out this list of 18 fun and affordable Valentine’s Day gifts for kids and kids-at-heart.

Don’t forget your Galentine, too! We’ve got 18 funny and heartfelt gift ideas for Galentine’s Day here, and it includes tons of affordable, fun things like this women authors pencil set.

You can never go wrong with a really good candle, and we pride ourselves on our selection of completely excellent candles, including these non-toxic soy candles that smell incredible and come with precious phrases on them.

Bang-Up Betty is located at 429 Main Street in the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock. Extended holiday hours through Valentine’s Day are weekdays (including Valentine’s Day) 11-5:30, Saturday 11-5 and Sunday 12-4. Shop online at www.bangupbetty.com and follow them at instagram.com/bangupbetty and facebook.com/bangupbettyjewelry. Email stacey@bangupbetty.com for custom jewelry and other inquiries.

The Strong Women Gift Guide: 18 Feminist Gifts For and Featuring Badass Women

“Grown Ass Woman” stamped mantra cuffs, Kamala Harris ornaments and more RBG gifts than you can shake a gavel at make up part of our Strong Women Gift Guide at Bang-Up Betty.

Girl power runs deep at Bang-Up Betty. From our infamous “I’m Speaking” Fly Necklace to our Smash the Patriarchy Lapel Pin, we’re kind of known for making a strong feminist statement. We’re also owned by a strong woman who makes our jewelry by hand and personally selects all the badass feminist gifts for our gift shop and jewelry store in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Here are a few of our favorite gift picks for the strong woman on your list.

Women’s lit is our favorite! This set of no.2 pencils commemorates some of our classic favorite women authors. Each set of pencils comes with the five pencils shown in the photo.

Tell the boneheads to back off with this Don’t Tell Me To Smile Feminist Skull Keychain.

This cute but fierce Ruth Bader Ginsburg oven mitt makes a statement in any kitchen. Get your mitts on it before it sells out again!

These adorable little string dolls fit perfectly on your keys and each have a quote or bit of life history about the person who inspired them. Each string doll keychain comes on an informative card back, too. We’ve got Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rosa Parks, Medusa and more.

Pick up a tiny feminist hammer and join the cause! These Smash the Patriarchy Lapel Pins are one of our signature designs that never go out of style.

Let this Nevertheless She Persisted Necklace serve as a reminder to persist and resist.

A gift for a goddess! Say it with a mug…This mug is shaped as Philotes, Goddess of friendship, and says to anyone that receives it: “World’s greatest friend!”

Rosa sat so Ruby could walk so Kamala could run. This beautiful print by Arkansas artist Sherry J. Williamson illustrates inspirational quotes from Kamala Harris, Lucille Bridges (mother of Ruby Bridges), and Rosa Parks. It’s available in store at 429 Main Street in Argenta, North Little Rock.

This cute little Ruth Bader Ginsburg paperweight is like a little token of strength and encouragement to keep on your desk.

Think of these hand-stamped custom Mantra Cuff Bracelets as your Wonder Woman cuffs. (Cuffs don't come with super powers, but you do!) These custom cuffs are also available in silver and can be personalized with the phrase or word of your choice.

This Votes for Women puzzle is fun to work and also informational. It’s made up of people who helped pioneer the right to vote for women and it comes with a poster. Puzzle available in store at our Argenta storefront.

People think that Medusa was just a mean old hag that turned men to stone, but really she was a scorned woman and don’t we all want the ability to turn men into rocks? This medusa necklace is from our art history jewelry collection.

We adore women’s lit, and these wooden bookmarks are gorgeous, useful and inspiring gifts. This Zora Neale Hurston bookmark makes our hearts flutter.

“When they go low, we go high.” This gorgeous Michelle Obama magnet will add inspiration to your home.

This RBG handmade ornament is too precious to put away after the holidays end. Keep this cute little Ruth Bader Ginsburg hanging around all year.

These Nasty Woman Statue of Liberty stickers are a Bang-Up Betty original. They’re great for cars, water bottles, laptops and stocking stuffers.

Celebrate our first woman vice president with this Kamala Harris ornament. It’s so cute you’ll want to decorate with it all year long.

“Going high” takes on several meanings in this handmade “Go High” necklace. Inspired by Michelle Obama’s famous words, “When they go low, we go high,” this bronze necklace has the words GO HIGH pressed into a solid bronze mountain range, for when you need some extra motivation to get over the next ridge and revel in your hard work and commitment, or for when you need a beautiful reminder to take the high road and let the bullshit wash under you like water under a bridge instead of splashing around in it.

Bang-Up Betty is snarky, meaningful, well-made jewelry made in North Little Rock, Arkansas, as well as feminist pins, stickers and gifts. Since 2013, Bang-Up Betty has been crafting custom and personalized jewelry and other quirky, nerdy and feminist necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Shop our jewelry alongside unique gifts and local art at our new storefront in the Argenta neighborhood of downtown North Little Rock, Arkansas, located at 429 Main Street.

14 Graduation Gifts for Smart, Hard-Working, Progressive Grads

Rad grad gifts are in right now. Give the graduate in your life an empowering custom bar necklace, the Nevertheless She Persisted Necklace, the Strong As Hell Necklace or a custom mantra cuff. You can also add a birthstone to a necklace to personalize it even more.

Graduation season is here, and after an exceptionally stressful year of pandemic-style learning, I think the grads of 2021 deserve a HUGE shout out for keeping it together, adapting to virtual learning, and putting in the extra organization work that this year undoubtedly required. The graduation jewelry gifts I’ve been making this year have reflected the theme of perseverance more than ever: empowering custom bar necklace that say things like “total badass,” “keep going” and “Dr., Not Ms.,” the Nevertheless She Persisted Necklace, the Strong As Hell Necklace and custom mantra cuffs with a number of uplifting and kick-ass phrases are a few of the popular gifts. You can also add a birthstone to a necklace to personalize it even more. Here are a few more of my top graduation gift picks for 2021:

The Smash the Patriarchy Hammer Necklace is a great way to empower a new feminist graduate heading into the workforce for the first time. Remind them to power forward no matter what obstacles try to slow them down, especially if they’re entering a male-dominated field. Get the Smash the Patriarchy Necklace here.

Think of these hand-stamped custom Mantra Cuff Bracelets as your Wonder Woman cuffs. (Cuffs don't come with super powers, but you do!)

Keep your grad motivated to keep being the badass they are with these stamped mantra bracelets. Cuffs are solid brass or solid aluminum, polished so there are no sharp edges, durable and adjustable. Each cuff is hand stamped letter by letter with the mantra of your choice. Choose from our variety of favorite mantras or enter your own at checkout. Some of my favorite phrases are: take no shit, get shit done, grown ass woman, unstoppable, get out of my way, strong female lead, and keep kicking ass.

A briefcase for the modern badass. The world will make no mistake: you get shit done with this Get Shit Done Tote Bag.

For the history major: The Acropolis Column Earrings are an ode to strength and beauty. Thousands of years after civilizations fall, their artwork and culture survives, like the columns standing on the Acropolis in Athens and the mythologies we keep telling.

For the graduate going into the legal field: This hand-stamped I DISSENT necklace is like a contemporary dissent collar, nodding to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I’ve paired the stamped bar with a silver-plated gavel charm, because there are many tools for smashing the patriarchy. BONUS: This RBG necklace donates to the scholarship fund for the Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers, so you’ll be paying it forward to future grads!

“Going high” takes on several meanings in this Go High Mountain Range Necklace. Inspired by Michelle Obama’s famous words, “When they go low, we go high,” this bronze necklace has the words GO HIGH pressed into a solid bronze mountain range, for when you need some extra motivation to get over the next ridge and revel in your hard work and commitment, or for when you need a beautiful reminder to take the high road and let the bullshit wash under you like water under a bridge instead of splashing around in it.

For the grad who can do absolutely anything they want: Let the world know that you do you, and nothing can stop you with this handmade I Do What I Want Stamped Necklace in silver or gold color.

A gift for the graduate going into science and medicine: This I Believe in Science Necklace is a subtle but firm mantra. The science necklace is hand-stamped letter by letter and comes with a little dopamine molecule charm. Get the I Believe in Science Necklace here.

For the literary grad: Are you a bookworm? A Bluestocking? A bibliophile? Is seeking out your next good read on your list of top joys in life? Me too. So I made a necklace about it.

This hand-stamped necklace features a solid brass heart stamped with the words ASK ME WHAT I’M READING. It’s a conversation starter in the best way and it’s like a tiny, attractive Bat Signal to fellow avid readers out there.

For the classical studies grad: Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom, was represented by the owl. She was wise and often referred to as “gray-eyed,” hence the gray jade stone in this necklace dedicated to her. The Athena Necklace features an intricate perched owl centered within a shield, combining Athena’s signature bird with strong, warrior imagery. It’s available in bronze and sterling silver. Looking for another Greek god or goddess? Find my entire collection of Greek mythology jewelry here.

For the art history or biblical studies graduate: There’s something scintillating about seeing Artemisia Gentileschi’s image of Judith Slaying Holofernes, a biblical scene also depicted by Caravaggio and other male artists of the Baroque era, and realizing that this c. 1620 painting of a robust, ruthless Judith mercilessly and dutifully slicing the head from Assyrian general Holofernes was painted by a 20-something-year-old woman. If you don’t know the story behind the painting, Holofernes is about to ransack Judith’s city, but he drinks too much before the siege, allows beautiful Judith to enter his tent thinking it’ll be a good time, and Judith cuts off his head while he’s drunk. It’s kind of a lovely feminist twinkle in the Bible if you ask me. What’s so special about Artemisia’s work, (besides finding a well-known woman artist of this era being like finding a needle in a haystack) is the strength and brutality of Judith. Many other works depicting the theme portray Judith as a seductive, demure or more delicate beauty, but Artemisia went really Rosie the Riveter with her Judith, giving her impressive arms that hold Holofernes down while she violently saws off his head, him writhing and blood spurting everywhere. 

My Judith Slaying Holofernes Necklace is a nod to the gruesome, powerful scene by Artemisia, with Holofernes’ severed head above two daggers and a garnet drop of blood. The cast bronze or sterling silver pendant hangs from an 18-inch 14K gold-filled or sterling silver chain and is accented with a flat-cut, teardrop-shaped garnet (also the January birthstone if that’s your month). Looking for more art history jewelry? Find my entire collection of art history jewelry here.

Bang-Up Betty is snarky, meaningful, well-made jewelry made in North Little Rock, Arkansas, as well as feminist pins, stickers and gifts. Since 2013, Bang-Up Betty has been crafting custom and personalized jewelry and other quirky, nerdy and feminist necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Shop Bang-Up Betty’s unique Arkansas-made jewelry through our “shop” tab, where you can also order custom name necklaces, mantra cuff bracelets, stamped key tags and more.

2020 Retrospect: Finding the Gems in a Rough Year

2020 was undeniably one of the worst years in probably all of our lives, and it’s almost impossible to find any redeeming aspects besides Joe Biden winning the presidency 2,584 times, but a few moments stick out as special in my heart.

2020 was undeniably one of the worst years in probably all of our lives, and it’s almost impossible to find any redeeming aspects besides Joe Biden winning the presidency 2,584 times. It certainly was no bang-up year for me personally. I typed a whole paragraph listing the atrocities of the year on a personal and global scale and then deleted it because, well, I thought it was too dark for a blog post I’m using to try to lift my spirits and document some of the good things that managed to shine through it all. In the spirit of hope and trying to turn lemons into lemonade or at least some sort of off-brand, 10-years-expired fruit barrel sugar water I used to beg my mom to buy me at the Hostess outlet bakery, here is a list of moments that I don’t want to forget from the worst year.

Towards the beginning of the pandemic, I posted these hand-stamped SOCIALLY DISTANT heart necklaces and gave $5 from the sale of each one to a person on our local virtual tip jar list of people who were out of a job or had reduced hours from the shutdowns. I got to give tips to dozens people in the Little Rock community from the necklace sales.

2020 brought the birth of Bang-Up Bingo! During the spring, I hosted several virtual bingo games and gave away handmade jewelry, funny enamel pins, feminist stickers and more at no cost, just for funsies and to bring a little sunshine to our indoor existences. This screenshot really embodies my enthusiasm for my favorite Bingo call.

This year, I created these I DISSENT gavel necklaces as a nod to our most dearly departed RBG and donated proceeds to the Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers’ scholarship fund. Through the sales of this necklace I was able to donate $432 and will continue the donations into the new year.

This year, Arkansas Times readers voted me Best Artisan for handmade jewelry in the Arkansas Times Best of Arkansas, and my favorite little gift shop Stifft Station Gifts got runner-up for Best Gift Shop. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!

In the spring, back before Michelle Obama made it cool as hell to wear a “vote” letter necklace, I taught a virtual workshop on how to make a similar style of necklace. Pet names, feminist sentiments, and funny words were a big hit, but I guess we should have all been making them say VOTE! If you want to stay up to date about my virtual and future in-person workshops, join this group on Facebook.

I guess sitting at home gave me a lot of time to think, because I released four collections of handmade jewelry in 2020, the most dear to me being the Siren Collection of jewelry that was inspired by Greek Mythology. This is my favorite collection of jewelry I’ve ever made in my life, and I hope to make more like it in 2021. Check out the full Siren Collection here.

I, especially as a white person, certainly can’t capture the emotions of this summer in one entry, and I have very mixed emotions about just wanting to throw 2020 in the trash and ring in a new year. 2020 taught us so much and was maybe the closest we’ve gotten to shaking up change over the epidemic of racial injustice within our justice systems, education systems and beyond. We CANNOT forget the summer of 2020. We can’t forget Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and what brought people across the WORLD into the streets during a pandemic to shout BLACK LIVES MATTER. It was uplifting to see so many people come together to help bail out protestors in our city, and I was happy to put my hammer to work where I could to raise money for the Little Rock Freedom Fund. I posted a few rounds of these hand-stamped cuffs to raise funds that went immediately to the bail fund, totaling about $950 with 100% of the funds going straight from donors to the fund in exchange for a cuff. .May we fight just as hard in 2021 as we did in 2020, if not 1,000 times harder.

Never passing on a chance to fuck with Faulkner County’s stinkiest state senator, I made this magical little hand-stamped heart necklace that said JEZEBEL WEAVING A SPELL after one of he-who-must-not-be-named’s little internet tantrums against one of his constituents. Obviously I auctioned this off on Facebook for $125 that went to Arkansas Abortion Support Network. It was the only proper thing to do.

2020 did manage to produce the finest sour ale this city has ever seen (If I do say so myself, and I do), in the form of this partnership with the brewers of East Sixth Brewing Co. (Hey, Becca and Josh!!!) and my good friend Ashlee Nobel of Lee Lee Arts + Design. Together we created this tribute beer to the late, great Betty the boy cat. You can still grab a pack of it at your local liquor store. I grabbed some last night from 107 Liquor in Sherwood.

The year was 2020. The godforsaken election was heating up. A political goddess took the stage opposite a turd in a white toupée, and naturally a fly landed on his head. The next morning I made a necklace to commemorate the hilarious occasion. The necklace said I’M SPEAKING and had a tiny fly charm. I thought, “Tee hee hee hee, what a funny pic to share that no one will really care about buying,” and WOW WAS I WRONG. This fly necklace may be the only thing I make for the rest of my life. Just kidding. Kind of.

And, after stamping approximately 1,543,567,546.67 I’m Speaking fly necklaces, I turned into an actual fly. I blogged my DIY fly costume here in case you want to know how it was made.

2020 was a cruel monster to small businesses, and Bang-Up Betty didn’t come out unscathed. I’ll always remember the two magical months of January and February when we were open for regular shopping and had some really fun creative workshops. You never know when a global pandemic is going to wipe through like a wad of endangered toilet paper and smear you off the map. We had to close Stifft Station Gifts this month, and this beautiful little best-kept-secret gem in Little Rock will be sorely missed. Bang-Up Betty is online as always and will resume pop-ups, craft shows and in-person events as soon as it’s safe and not a moment sooner.

I had to give a shout out to my most loyal virtual students, Girl Scouts! This year I did multiple virtual workshops, from charm necklaces to beaded spiders, with some of the region's brightest young crafters and I hope we have many more Zoom dates in 2021.

I think the biggest gem of 2020 had to be getting a new president elected. The lines of enthusiastic voters across the country was so inspiring to see, and personally it was such a huge motivation to see all of you post photos of yourselves voting while wearing Bang-Up Betty jewelry. From the Vote So Hard enamel pin, to the VOTE necklace, to the I’m Speaking Fly Necklace, it made my heart nearly explode seeing it all. Thank you!

The Handmade Shop Local and Online Arkansas Gift Guide 2020

Every holiday season, I like to round up some of my current favorites in a little gift guide that highlights Arkansas artisans, artists and makers to help you shop small and shop local. Normally I’d show off new finds from craft shows or new things at our shop, but since I’m shopping online as much as possible this year to keep myself at home, I thought I’d focus on Arkansas made gifts you can have delivered straight to your door. From pottery to lapel pins, tea to trinkets, this guide has stocking stuffers and heartfelt gifts that will make this holiday season magical despite how strange this year is. Handmade gifts make the best gifts!

Every time I see potter Mariah Hatta share one of her adorable ceramic pigs, it makes me squeal with delight. Mariah creates unique pottery under the name House of Terriers, and right now she’s part of the Arkansas Art Center’s virtual Museum School Sale, so these little piggies can cry “wee wee wee” all the way home to your tree without you having to leave the house. Check out Mariah’s work here. This gift is also great for hog callers. Woo pig!

This year, my good friend Ashlee Nobel of Lee Lee Arts + Design collaborated with East Sixth Brewing Company and me to create a beer inspired by Bang-Up Betty, and we used Ashlee’s incredible cat skull art in the design for the beer we named Betty’s Ninth Life. This clever cat skull art print lives in my studio now, and you can get Ashlee’s beautiful art on everything from pillows to blankets to hoodies. Check out her new yoga collection for the yogis on your list! See Ashlee’s work here.

A couple of months ago, I released my Siren Collection of handmade bronze jewelry inspired by Greek Mythology. This jewelry is handmade in Arkansas by me, and I chose to feature the Artemis Moon Necklace with crossed arrows in this gift guide. The Artemis necklace is elegant, meaningful an mystical, much like the rest of the Siren Collection. See the whole collection of handmade Greek mythology jewelry here.

I’m absolutely OBSESSED with Abbi’s Teas and Things in Hillcrest, and I’m so proud of how she’s gone the extra mile to keep her business safe during the pandemic. You can find Abbi Siler at her outdoor tea stand Wednesdays and Saturdays, or you can shop her blends online. Right now I’m all about the Cherry Fig, but I also highly recommend the Banana Nut Roo, Turmeric Sunrise and Cherry Chamomile. Shop Abbi’s Teas online here.

I’d say it’s a happy coincidence that my favorite little gift shop in Little Rock also stocks lots of Arkansas made products, but Cindi Booth is too wonderful a curator of handmade goods to chalk it up to serendipity. Candles are like booze; they almost always make a great gift. And these locally made candles come in adorable vintage-style jars, so they look great in your home. You can shop TONS of incredible things on the Stifft Station Gifts website. Here is a link to the candles in many scents.

Funny and feminist enamel lapel pins and stickers make perfect stocking stuffers, coworker gifts, teacher gifts and angsty teenager (or angsty grown-up) gifts. My line of enamel pins is huge, so you’ll likely find something perfect for a funny, sassy person in your life. Shop Bang-Up Betty enamel pins and stickers here.

Speaking of great enamel lapel pins, Little Rock textile artist, poet and author Crystal Mercer released a collection of enamel pins this year that are phenomenal. Choose from “Black Glow Matters,” “An Arrest Is Not Enough,” her Duafe Pin or Normalizing Nipples pin, and be sure to check out the Kickstarter she just announced for her forthcoming book “From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair,” to be released by Et Alia Press. Check out Crystal’s work here.

And speaking of Et Alia Press, the bookworms on your list are bound to love something from this local “small press for big voices.” Be sure to check out “The Hospice Doctor’s Widow” by Jennifer O’Brien or “But First, Save 10” by Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez. I read Sarah-Catherine’s book a couple of months ago and I couldn’t recommend it enough for pointers on how to get your savings on track. Check out Et Alia press here.

I’ve been a fan of Tub Tonics for a long time. Andrea knows how to make a damn fine bath bomb. Like the skull bath bomb in the intro photo to this gift guide? Amazing! Andrea makes perfect little gift sets on her site too, so you can cross someone completely off your list in one place. Check out her soaps, bath bombs, gift sets and more here.

I’m in love with macrame by Creative Cords. Amy Darragh’s wall hangings, like the pink one in my intro photo to this gift guide, make my heart sing, but I’m extra in love with her adorable macrame Christmas ornaments she’s been sharing lately. Check out Creative Cords macrame here.

I’m always in awe of the way Erin Pierce of Organized Chaos Collection harvests beauty all around us in the form of Arkansas plants, insects, spider webs and other natural things and turns them into breathtaking art and jewelry. Erin takes pride in finding and pressing her own flowers to make these gorgeous sun catchers. See more of Erin’s work here.

Whether you want perfectly cute cookies for the holidays, need a great cookie mix to make your own, or are looking for recipes to make holiday desserts from scratch, Sarah DeClerk of Ann Potter Baking has you covered! She even has DIY cookie kits you can order online to decorate yourself, and she JUST released a cookbook! Check out Ann Potter Baking here.

This year, it’s more important than ever to shop small, and I hope this Arkansas gift guide helps you cross a few names off your list while getting those warm and fuzzies you get when you support an awesome small business you believe in. Happy (and safe!) holiday shopping!

The Siren Collection: Handmade Jewelry Inspired by Greek Mythology and Made in Arkansas

The Siren Collection, inspired by my favorite Greek myths, tells the stories of gods and goddesses through handmade bronze jewelry.

I remember the first time I read Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. It was during the 8th grade in an English class, and, keeping in mind that our next assignment would be choosing a Greek god or goddess that we loved or connected with and presenting their story in front of the class in costume, I carefully considered the personality traits of each deity, looking for pieces of myself in each one. Was I a strong, intelligent warrior like Athena? Did I find myself in Poseidon’s love of horses and the sea? Was I as clever as Hermes, or as crafty at Hephaestus? 

In a move that both echoed and fueled the burgeoning moody, contemplative, somber attitude  that really raged during my teen and young adult years and that I like to think has matured like a fine goth wine in adulthood, I chose Persephone, goddess of the underworld. Dressed in a purple-black panel of satin scrap fabric that I draped like a toga over my shoulder and belted with a faux-jewel-encrusted braided belt I found at Goodwill, I told the first-person account through painted black lips of how Hades, lord of the underworld, had stolen me from my mother, carried me to heck, presumably defiled me, and lured me into eating magical pomegranate seeds that would force me to return to the dark realm for half of each year to oversee my death kingdom. I know, I know… pics or it didn’t happen. Thankfully I held onto a single photo of me in this getup that I saved in my secret stash of meaningful trinkets, so I must have been REALLY proud of this presentation. Skip ahead to the Persephone necklace to view my embarrassment. 

Rereading the book a few years ago in preparation for a trip to Greece, I rekindled my love for Greek mythology. I found myself once again, unprompted by homework, looking for traces of myself in the gods. I believe that one of the things that makes the ancient Greek gods so endearing and memorable is how human they are. They are wonderfully flawed in such mortal ways, and, therefore, relatable. Like us, they are jealous, they feel sadness, they miss each other, they fall in love and lust, they can be generous or selfish, they will ruin your life if you sleep with their man. I imagine their devotees thousands of years ago looking for glimpses of themselves in the gods, just as we do now, seeking solace in the gods who had felt their same pain and asking for help from the gods who offered wisdom in the ways they needed. 

Inspired by some of my favorite myths, I created a collection of hand-cast bronze jewelry I hope Hephaestus would approve. Each piece is a symbolic, talismanic nod to a god, goddess or legend. They are handmade with bronze, semi-precious stones, 14K gold-filled chain and ear wires, meaning they’re high quality and carefully crafted. This is the most meaningful collection of handmade jewelry I’ve ever designed, and I hope it speaks to your soul. Maybe you’ll see yourself reflected in the glimmering bronze, or maybe in the stories each piece has to tell. You can shop it all here, or browse the highlights below, peppered with a couple of historical related photos.

The Poseidon Seahorse Earrings and Necklace play on the sea god’s gift of horses to humankind. Sea sediment jasper beads mimic the red tones of coral and the marble of ancient statues.

Poseidon ruled and dwelled in the sea. In classical art, he is often seen riding a wave in a chariot drawn by aquatic horses, as he was the one who first gave horses to man and was revered for that gift. It is said that when he rode atop the waves, his chariot calmed the turbulent seas. 

I’ve chosen to represent the powerful Poseidon using the daintiest of sea creatures—the seahorse. The Poseidon necklace and earrings feature handmade bronze seahorses, cast from an actual seahorse skeleton I found in a vintage shop. The hand-cast bronze seahorse charms measure approximately 3/4 inches long and are paired with red sea sediment jasper beads that have a beautiful marbleized appearance. The necklace chain is 14K gold-filled, 18 inches long and ends in a spring clasp. The earring wires are 14K gold-filled. This necklace and earrings set is available in .999 fine silver upon request. 

The Poseidon Seahorse Earrings and Necklace play on the sea god’s gift of horses to humankind. Sea sediment jasper beads mimic the red tones of coral and the marble of ancient statues.

Using a vintage stamp, I hand-cast this bronze full moon pendant to represent the moon goddess Artemis necklace. The crossed arrows above the moon are for her infamous silver arrows.

Artemis, huntsman to the gods and lover of nature and all wild things, was also a protector of the youth. Sister and counterpart to Apollo, Artemis is the moon goddess, and is represented by the moon and a pair of crossed arrows in the Artemis Necklace. 

This handmade bronze pendant of the full moon was hand-cast using a vintage stamp and is accented with a smaller bronze charm featuring two crossed arrows, as Artemis was known for her silver arrows. The bronze moon pendant measures a little less than one inch across and hangs from an 18-inch, 14K gold-filled chain that ends in a spring clasp.  This necklace is available in .999 fine silver upon request. 

Each full moon bronze necklace is handmade in my North Little Rock, Arkansas, studio. It can also be made in fine silver upon request.

Medusa was a misunderstood character in Greek mythology. The Medusa Serpent Earrings are made of hand-cast bronze. Think of them as snakes in your hair.

Medusa, with her hair of snakes, is one of the most ubiquitous images of Greek mythology, but the legends surrounding her are mysterious and often untold. She was a Gorgon, and according to the poet Ovid, Medusa was extremely lovely. Here’s where it gets dark… Poseidon raped Medusa in a temple of Athena’s, and Athena was so outraged by it that she cursed Medusa, turning her into a snake-haired beast who could turn mortals to stone if they looked at her. The hero Perseus went all Tom Cruise in Legend on her and used a reflective shield to deflect her deadly stare so that he could cut off her head, which he gave to Athena to wear on her shield. Poor Medusa. 

The stories about Medusa often overlook how she was respected as a symbol of protection. If the story of Medusa inspires you to smash the patriarchy as much as it does me, you’ll enjoy this Vice article by Christobel Hastings.

The Medusa Earrings feature a pair of handmade bronze snakes that mirror each other. They’re fierce symbols of warning or protection, whichever you choose. The hand-cast bronze snakes measure approximately 1 1/2 inches from tail to head. The earring wires are 14K gold-filled, so they’re hypoallergenic.  These earrings is available in .999 fine silver upon request. 

The Medusa Earrings make a lovely match with the Apollo Serpent Necklace.

The Medusa Earrings feature a pair of handmade bronze snakes that mirror each other. They’re fierce symbols of warning or protection, whichever you choose.

Gray-eyed Athena, the wise, warrior goddess of Greek mythology, is represented with her signature owl in the Athena necklace.

The fierce warrior goddess Athena (Pallas Athena) sprang fully-grown and clad in armor from her father Zeus’s head. Zeus trusted her to carry his mighty armor and thunderbolt. She was a protector and partial to craftsmanship and agriculture. Poseidon may have given horses to man, but Athena tamed them. She was wise and often referred to as “gray-eyed,” and her symbol is the owl. 

The Athena Necklace features an intricate perched owl centered within a shield, combining Athena’s signature bird with strong, warrior imagery. The owl pendant is handmade from bronze and accented with a blue-gray, faceted bead of jade.

Poseidon may have given horses to man, but Athena tamed them. She was wise and often referred to as “gray-eyed,” and her symbol is the owl. The Athena necklace tells her story.

I like to think Zeus, king of the gods, wielder of the mighty thunderbolt, would approve this necklace and earrings set created to represent him.

Zeus, King of the Gods and wielder of the mighty thunderbolt, was lord of the sky and bringer of rain. He was the most powerful of all the deities and resided in Olympus. He was known for his ravenous sexual appetite and his many love affairs with gods and mortals alike. 

Representing Zeus is a stunning bronze handmade lightning bolt pendant, hanging from a gorgeous 14K gold-filled chain. The lighting bolt charm in the Zeus Necklace measures approximately 1 1/2 inches long and is hand-cast and kiln-fired. 

The Zeus Necklace is made to be paired with the Zeus Lighting Bolt Gold-Filled Hoop Earrings. These 14K gold-filled hoops measure 1 inch across and are affixed with handmade bronze lighting bolts slightly smaller than the charm of the necklace.

Snakes are incredibly meaningful, often seen biting their tails to symbolize eternity. This serpent is coiled in a shield-like medallion, affixed with a marquise-cut red cubic zirconia that is set by hand and cast directly into the bronze. The Apollo Necklace represents the light god’s conquering of the Python.

Apollo, or Phoebus Apollo, is most commonly known as the sun god or god of light. He was also a talented musician, playing a golden lyre; the archer god, shooting a silver bow; the first to teach humans the art of healing; and the god of truth—his light illuminating falsehoods. 

Apollo slew the formidable Python, a serpent that lived in the caves of Parnassus, after a grueling battle during which the snake finally fell victim to the Light God’s precise arrows. I’ve chosen this story to represent Apollo, using a glimmering, coiled serpent with a glowing red eye in the Apollo Necklace.

Snakes are incredibly meaningful, often seen biting their tails to symbolize eternity. This serpent is coiled in a shield-like medallion, affixed with a marquise-cut red cubic zirconia that is set by hand and cast directly into the bronze. This handmade bronze charm is finished with a 18-inch 14K gold-filled chain that ends in a spring clasp.  This necklace is available in .999 fine silver upon request. 

The Hades Necklace is a beautiful memento mori. It is elegant and edgy. It evokes a classical feeling reminiscent of the funeral mask of Agamemnon, but it’s also modern.

Hades, god of the underworld (also called Hades), is the king of the dead and god of wealth and precious metals (remember the custom of needing a coin under your tongue or over your eyes to pay the ferryman Charon to cross the River Styx?). Besides his abduction of Persephone (which was downright terrible, he is not viewed as an evil god despite his deathly position. He is seen as a just god. 

The place Hades isn’t like the Christian Hell of fire and brimstone. According to legend, Hades is divided into realms: Tartarus, where souls are punished; The Fields of Mourning, where lovers wander and never forget their lost loves; The Asphodel Meadows, which sounds like a pretty ok place to be if you have to be dead; and The Elysian Fields, where exceptional people are treated to a really pleasant eternity. 

The Hades Necklace is a beautiful memento mori. It is elegant and edgy. It evokes a classical feeling reminiscent of the funeral mask of Agamemnon, but it’s also modern. The hand-cast bronze skull measures about 3/4 inch across and is accented with 4 cultured seed pearls as the skull’s teeth.

Hades, god of the underworld (also called Hades), is the king of the dead and god of wealth and precious metals (remember the custom of needing a coin under your tongue or over your eyes to pay the ferryman Charon to cross the River Styx?). The Hades Necklace, made of hand-cast bronze, features 4 cultured seed pearls as the skull’s teeth.

The Aphrodite Necklace tells the story of Aphrodite’s birth. It features a handmade bronze seashell pendant, cast using an actual shell that I plucked from a beach in Indonesia on my honeymoon.

By far the most beautiful of all the gods was Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. She was completely irresistible and fun-loving. Her power over men is often considered destructive. 

Aphrodite is famously portrayed rising from the waves on a clam shell (as in Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus”), for she was born from sea foam. 

The Aphrodite Necklace tells the story of Aphrodite’s birth. It features a handmade bronze seashell pendant, cast using an actual shell that I plucked from a beach in Indonesia on my honeymoon. Atop the bronze shell is a single cultured pearl. Pearls have been incredibly symbolic throughout history, associated with love, perfection, purity and the moon. In Aja Raden’s Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World, she says that “In parts of the ancient Near East, the belief that pearls were a product of tears shed by a goddess under the moonlight persisted for millennia.” There is just so much goddess energy in this necklace. 

A modern take on the pearl necklace, this Aphrodite Necklace borrows from the story of the Greek goddess’s seafoam birth.

This necklace is so regal, it’s fit for a queen of the Greek gods. Hera’s symbol is the beautiful peacock, which I’ve used to represent her in the Hera Necklace.

Hera was the queen of the ancient Greek gods and worshipped as the protector of marriage and  married women. Her daughter, Ilithyia, helped women in childbirth. Married to Zeus, king of the gods, an infamous skirt-chaser, Hera knew how to hold a grudge. You just didn’t cross Hera. Hera’s symbol is the beautiful peacock, which I’ve used to represent her in the Hera Necklace. 

The Hera Necklace, featuring a peacock, was inspired by the queen of the Greek gods in Greek mythology.

Grab the bull by the horns. The Minotaur Necklace was inspired by the half-man, half-bull monster of Greek mythology.

Half human and half bull, the ferocious and beautiful Minotaur dwelled in the labyrinth made by Daedalus to contain it. Youths were sacrificed to the Minotaur inside the winding maze, from which they couldn’t escape. With the help of Ariadne, who tells him that Daedalus’s trick to reemerging from the labyrinth is to unwind a ball of thread as he traveled inside so that he could retrace his steps, the hero Theseus volunteered himself to be sacrificed, then found and slew the Minotaur with his bare hands. 

The Minotaur Necklace features a handmade solid bronze bull’s skull, affixed to a 14K gold-filled chain by its horns. Two round beads of howlite accent the necklace, mimicking the marble of ancient Greek sculpture.

Howlite beads top each horn of the Minotaur Necklace, echoing the marbled look of Ancient Greek sculptures.

The Persephone Necklace features a substantial handmade bronze pomegranate cast with glittering red, round-cut cubic zirconia stones representing the seeds Persephone ate in Greek mythology.

As a maiden, Persephone was snatched by Hades, god of the underworld, and brought to his dark realm, where he, smitten by her, held her captive and wed her. Her mother Demeter, goddess of the harvest, was so utterly heartbroken that she wandered the earth in search of her daughter, letting the crops wilt and the landscape wither in her sadness. The people starved, and Zeus had to do something to intervene, so he bade Hades return Persephone to her mother, but not before Hades lured Persephone into eating pomegranate seeds (whether it was one seed, four seeds or six seeds varies by legend). Because she ate from the pomegranate, she was made to split her time above ground with her mother and below ground with her dark lord husband. Each year when winter comes and the earth withers, Persephone is underground and her mother mourns. Hence, Persephone is the reason for the seasons. 

Persephone’s story is such a dark tale, but it is her multidimensionality that makes her so unique. She is a goddess who dies, unlike the other gods, and she rises from the dead. After being abducted, she is never again the carefree maiden she once was; she is forever somber. She is often depicted as sympathetic for her deceased constituents, as in the case of Orpheus and Euridyce. “But in their grief and at the hour of death,” Edith Hamilton wrote in Mythology, “men could turn for compassion to the goddess who sorrowed and the goddess who died,” speaking of Persephone and Demeter. 

The Persephone Necklace features a substantial handmade bronze pomegranate cast with glittering red, round-cut cubic zirconia stones representing the seeds Persephone ate. The pomegranate charm is hand-cast bronze, approximately 1 1/4 inches long, and the stones are set by hand and cast directly into the metal.

As promised, the only photo of me in my 8th grade handmade Persephone costume that was inexplicably laminated and made into a cut-out bookmark. Long live black lipstick.

The Siren Collection wouldn’t be complete without matching earrings! These Gemstone 14K Gold-Filled Hoop Earrings mix and match with necklaces within the Greek mythology collection. This pair is moonstone and meant to match the Artemis Moon Necklace, but they stand alone easily.

Hoop earrings, in their beautiful, elegant simplicity, are always in style and go with absolutely everything. Dressed up or dressed down, hair up or down, hoops are always a yes. These hoop earrings are 14K gold-filled, so they’re hypoallergenic, and they measure an inch across, so they’re not too big and not too small. Accenting each hoop is a semi-precious stone of your choice. Stone choices include: Garnet (teardrop), Pearl (round), White Marbled Howlite (round), Lava Rock (round), Blue-Gray Jade (faceted round), Moonstone (teardrop), Marbled Obsidian (round). These 14K gold-filled hoop earrings were made to match the Siren mythology collection, but they stand perfectly on their own. They are also available in sterling silver hoops.

Mix and match these 14K Gold-Filled Gemstone Hoop Earrings with necklaces in the Siren Collection. They’re also available in sterling silver.

I chose imagery very special to Bang-Up Betty while representing Hephaestus. The Hephaestus Necklace features two crossed hammers, just like the Bang-Up Betty logo.

It’s probably not surprising that I, as a metalsmith and craftsperson, have a special affinity for Hephaestus, the god of fire and the forge and (together with Athena) patron of the arts and crafts. In his workshop, Hephaestus created armor and weapons for the gods with the help of his handmaidens that he forged from gold. Although he forged weaponry, he was a gentle and peaceful god. While in Athens, I had the honor of visiting a temple dedicated to him. 

I chose imagery very special to Bang-Up Betty while representing Hephaestus. The Hephaestus Necklace features two crossed hammers, just like the Bang-Up Betty logo. The handmade bronze pendant measures approximately one inch across and is forged in a kiln in my studio in North Little Rock, Arkansas. I think the fire god would be proud. A fiery red cubic zirconia is set by hand and cast into the bronze.

Visiting the temple of Hephaestus, whom I like to think is the Greek mythology patron saint of Bang-Up Betty, in Athens a few years ago.

The Adonis Necklace and Earrings feature a beautiful face, reminiscent of classical marble sculptures, with bright, dazzling round-cut cubic zirconia stones for eyes.

Adonis possessed otherworldly beauty and was the mortal lover of the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone. As an infant, the abandoned Adonis was found by Aphrodite and given to Persephone to raise. Then he became a total hottie and the two fought relentlessly over the right to carnally possess him. Zeus eventually got fed up with their feud and mandated that Adonis spend part of the year below ground with Persephone, part of the year with Aphrodite, and the other part with whomever he chose, and of course he chose Aphrodite because he wasn’t brave enough to handle the goth Queen of the Dead Persephone, who probably was into some kinky shit, I’m just saying…

Adonis was gored by a wild boar and died in Aphrodite’s arms, his blood mingling with her tears to create the anemone flower. 

The Adonis Necklace and Earrings feature a beautiful face, reminiscent of classical marble sculptures, with bright, dazzling round-cut cubic zirconia stones for eyes. The pendant is handmade of bronze, and the stones are set by hand and cast directly into the metal.

Starry eyes for star-crossed lovers… Adonis was the lover of both Aphrodite and Persephone. When he died in Aphrodite’s arms, his blood mingled with her tears to create the anemone flower. See the Adonis Earrings and Necklace here.

The hand-cast bronze Acropolis Column Earrings are an ode to strength and beauty. Like everything in the Siren Collection of jewelry inspired by Greek mythology, they are available in .999 fine silver upon request.

The Acropolis Column Earrings are an ode to strength and beauty. Thousands of years after civilizations fall, their artwork and culture survives, like the columns standing on the Acropolis in Athens and the mythologies we keep telling.

These earrings are hand-cast in solid bronze, but small enough to be lightweight. Their decorative tops are in the Corinthian style.

Depicted in solid bronze on the medallion of the Orpheus and Eurydice necklace is a pair of lovers, one holding a lyre, the other leaning over a column to swoon at the musician.

One of the most beautiful stories of Greek Mythology is that of Orpheus and Eurydice, a tale of true love and devotion willing to face fear and death. The greatest mortal musician, Orpheus, fell  deeply in love with the maiden Eurydice and married her. Soon after the wedding, Eurydice and her bridesmaids were walking in a field and she was bitten by a viper. So much for “happily ever after.”

Beyond distraught in his mourning, Orpheus took his lyre to the underworld, braving the terrible three-headed dog Cerberus and lulling it and the many terrifying characters in Hades with his beautiful music. He pleaded for the life of his bride with his song, and so moved the goddess Persephone and even Hades himself to give him back his new wife, but with one condition: Orpheus couldn’t look at Eurydice until they both emerged from the underworld. 

Grabbing Eurydice’s hand, Orpheus led her joyously back to the realm of the living, but in his excitement as he exited the underworld, he glanced back at her, only to have looked just too soon, seeing her disappear into the mouth of the cave, stolen back to Hades for Orpheus’s eagerness. He rushed to follow her, but was not allowed to enter the underworld a second time. Doomed to life without his true love, he wandered the earth mournfully and alone until a band of Maenads discovered him and tore him limb from limb. We can only hope he was delivered from the living world into the arms of his lover at last. 

Depicted in solid bronze on the medallion of the Orpheus and Eurydice necklace is a pair of lovers, one holding a lyre, the other leaning over a column to swoon at the musician. In this piece of handmade jewelry, I imagine the couple in the happy hours of their union, before the viper struck, and how I hope their eternity looked in the underworld together. 

In this piece of handmade jewelry, I imagine the couple Orpheus and Eurydice in the happy hours of their union, before the viper struck, and how I hope their eternity looked in the underworld together.

The Siren Necklace and Earrings feature a handmade bronze shark tooth I made using an actual shark tooth. The shark tooth is vintage, being one that I’ve had since I was a tiny child.

If you hear the sweet song of the Siren, you better hurry up and get right with your god. According to legend, the Sirens were enchanting creatures who lived on an island in the sea and lured sailors to their death with their beautiful voices. No one knew what the Sirens looked like, because no one lived to tell the tale. 

The Siren Necklace and Earrings feature a handmade bronze shark tooth I made using an actual shark tooth. The shark tooth is vintage, being one that I’ve had since I was a tiny child. The necklace and earrings are accented with gold metallic-plated hematite beads, making them look even more like sunken treasures.

The Siren Shark Tooth Necklace and Earrings were inspired by the savage sirens of Greek mythology. According to legend, the Sirens were enchanting creatures who lived on an island in the sea and lured sailors to their death with their beautiful voices.

Shop the entire Siren Collection here. This collection was forged over many long, thoughtful months. Thank you for visiting this glimmering moment of my life with me. A huge thank you to my husband Collin Buchanan for painstakingly and beautifully photographing this entire collection for me.

The Arkansas Necklace and Earrings: Jewelry Made in Arkansas

This handmade Arkansas necklace is made right here in Arkansas by jewelry maker Bang-Up Betty. This is the “Diamond” variety, a not to Arkasnas’s “Diamond State” monicker, and the cubic zirconia can be moved around the state to better represent your favorite Arkansas town.

The Diamond State, the Natural State, or just home, sweet home… whatever you want to call the state of Arkansas, keep it close to your heart with this handmade Arkansas necklace made with either a woodgrain, water or diamond motif.

What makes this Arkansas necklace so super special? It’s made right here in Arkansas, in my North Little Rock studio. Each pendant is meticulously cast by hand in bronze, the sparkly cubic zirconia stones set by hand as well and cast directly into the metal.

The handmade bronze Arkansas charm measures approximately 3/4 inches from top to bottom. “Diamond” at the center of the Diamond State themed Arkansas charm is a cubic zirconia. Chain is 18-inches long, 14K gold-filled and ends in a spring clasp. Don’t call Little Rock home? I can move the cubic zirconia to another part of the state upon request! The listing in our web store lets you automatically select either a CZ in central Arkansas or northwest Arkansas, but if another Arkansas town is closer to your heart, let me know and I’ll make one especially for you. Just email stacey@bangupbetty.com!

If you like the handmade Arkansas necklace, you’ll love the matching handmade bronze Arkansas earrings! They’re extra special because they’re made right here in Arkansas!

If earrings are more your style, you’ll love the matching handmade Arkansas earrings. The earring wires are 14K gold-filled and measure approximately 1 1/4 inches from top to bottom. It’s double the Arkansas! As with the Arkansas necklace, I can move the stone around in these Arkansas earrings if you have another part of the state that you love. Just email stacey@bangupbetty.com!

Keeping with the Natural State theme, the handmade Arkansas state shape necklace can also be made with a luxurious woodgrain pattern.

Keeping with the Natural State theme, the handmade Arkansas state shape necklace can also be made with a luxurious woodgrain pattern.  This necklace reminds me of all the beautiful forests, mountains and other wild natural areas in our beautiful state.

Our handmade jewelry is always available online and ships nationwide. You can also find our handmade jewelry at our gift shop in Little Rock! Stifft Station Gifts, located at 3009 W. Markham Street, is the home of Bang-Up Betty jewelry, where custom jewelry is also made on demand and you can find tons of other Arkansas made gifts. An Arkansas native, I’m proud to keep my craft in my home state. I’ve been a jewelry designer since I was 16 years old and have been crafting Bang-Up Betty jewelry since 2013. Thank you for voting Bang-Up Betty “Best Artisan” for handmade jewelry seven years in a row in the Arkansas Times’s Best of Arkansas! I’m excited to make something you’ll treasure forever. If you have custom jewelry in mind, please email me at stacey@bangupbetty.com.

Why I'm Still Searching for Unicorns After All These Years (And Finding Them Occasionally in Jewelry)

There are so many magical aspects to these handmade Victorian-style unicorn earrings and necklace. The gorgeous, regal unicorn is reminiscent of heraldry, harkening to the lion and the unicorn featured in the crest of the United Kingdom. The rearing unicorn faces rows of patterned stripes, resembling a shield motif. These hand-cast bronze unicorn pendants are molded from an antique, likely Victorian era tchotchke, making them extra precious in my opinion. This unicorn jewelry is handmade in my Arkansas studio.

“Each time I see the unicorns, my unicorns, it is like that morning in the woods and I am truly young, in spite of myself.” - King Haggard, The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle

 You’re never too old to stop loving (and maybe even believing!) in unicorns. I have loved unicorns my entire life. Some of my earliest memories are of playing with collectible unicorn toys and watching The Last Unicorn repeatedly until my eyeballs about burned out of my head from staring at the flames of the Red Bull and the swinging teats of the harpy.

I fell in love with reading books about unicorns. Be kind. Be patient. Be brave. Be alert. Be pure of heart. Believe. Good things will come… That’s what you can read between the lines of unicorn stories. Most stories about unicorns (and horses, now that I’m thinking about it), center around a strong girl lead.

I read and reread Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn until I could recite whole chunks of it. Mary Stanton’s Unicorns of Balinor series is the most underrated YA book series in history, in my opinion, and I have yet to meet another person who has read it. I once got sassy with a poorly-informed bookseller at Books-A-Million when, after I asked her if the store carried any nonfiction books about unicorns, she LAUGHED IN MY CHILD FACE and told me unicorns aren’t real. Jokes on you, you old hag. There are dozens of nonfiction books about the mythology of unicorns that spans continents and centuries, and a bunch of those books are at my house now, no thanks to you. Bruce Coville’s Into the Land of the Unicorn book series inspired me to wear crystal amulets around my neck and ponder jumping off of rooftops to see if I’d land in a unicorn world.

In so many ways I did live in a unicorn world growing up. Unicorns were all I thought about. I was completely obsessed. I was a 10-year-old unicorn historian who probably could have authenticated some museum-quality unicorn artifacts. Every page of every school notebook was bordered with unicorns drawings: unicorn profiles, unicorns rearing, unicorns resting in the grass, baby unicorns at their mothers’ sides. Drawing really good unicorns is still my best party trick and my favorite thing to do that blows kids’ minds.

These enamel rainbow unicorn lapel pins were made based on a hand drawing of mine. They’re a nod to my expert unicorn-drawing skills, honed after years and years of drawing unicorns in the margins of all my schoolwork.

Several years later (I’ll let my professed favorite reading material age me), here I sit, wearing a unicorn-patterned shirt and unicorn earrings. The earrings are some of my own design, and it still tickles me every time I sneak a unicorn into my handmade jewelry. It feels like all that time drawing and collecting unicorns paid off in a way that parents think things pay off—with literal money.

I don’t think about unicorns 26 hours of the day anymore. Unfortunately, I had to grow up at some point, and growing up means thinking about paying bills, cooking my own dinners, whether or not the 10,000 anxieties that have divided like cells in my body over all these years should be wrestled with tonight or held at bay with a vodka tonic, if we’re out of cat litter again. But I still think about unicorns.

They’re harder to find these days. Even if I never saw one with my wide open eyes, perpetually scanning the neighborhood creeks and forested backyards of suburban Arkansas, I could always see them when I closed my eyes. I didn’t need to jump from a roof to get to their world. I could open a book and completely disappear inside of it. And there they were.

Sometimes, when it feels like a mound of pebbles has been stacked stone by stone onto me with out my realizing it until it becomes hard to breathe, I close my eyes and imagine the feeling of being 10 again and believing with everything in me that unicorns are all around me, they just aren’t ready to be seen. If I could bottle that feeling, I would. If I could trap it in an ocean and watch it come in and out with the tide every day, maybe I’d be the next King Haggard.

These handmade unicorn earrings feature a pair of the bronze unicorn charms that are wire-wrapped by hand to connect them to rounds beads of rainbow moonstone. The rainbow moonstone has an iridescent, milky white glow, much like I imagine a unicorn’s coat to have. The ear wires are gold-filled, and the earring measures about 1.5 inches from top to bottom.