The Dusk Keeper | Framed Rhino Beetle Brooch

The Dusk Keeper is a one-of-a-kind rhino beetle brooch with a second life as a framed curiosity. Smoky vintage glass gives its body a shadowed gleam, framed by gold-toned legs and a small, raised horn. Against black velvet, it feels like a specimen filed away in a cabinet that only opens after sunset. Its paperwork is, naturally, in order.

I made this specimen using vintage glass and fluted gold-toned beads reclaimed from my mom’s jewelry from the 1990s, supplemented with small gold-toned metal beads and glass bugle beads. Part of the Vintage Glen series, it carries a little family history into a quiet, six-legged new life. The smoky focal pieces are vintage glass, not precious stones, and the metal components are gold-toned, not precious metal.

An ornate gold-toned square frame gives this small keeper a place to preside between outings. Display it as a miniature cabinet curiosity, or easily remove the brooch for wear by carefully slipping it out of the rubber clip that holds it in place. Carefully made but very fragile, this is a piece for thoughtful handling and occasional adornment, not rough adventures. Handle gently when removing, wearing, and returning it to its display.

As with all pieces, this one is one of a kind. Once it's gone, it's gone.

Product Details

• Name: The Dusk Keeper
• Edition: One of a Kind
• Series: Vintage Glen
• Form: Removable rhino beetle brooch with display frame
• Brooch Size: 2.5 × 2.5 inches
• Frame Size: 3 × 3 inches, square
• Materials: Reclaimed vintage glass and fluted gold-toned beads from 1990s jewelry, small gold-toned metal beads, glass bugle beads
• Presentation: Ornate gold-toned square frame with black velvet background
• Removal: Carefully slip the brooch out of its rubber clip to wear.
• Style: Cabinet of curiosities, specimen-inspired, wearable sculpture
• Handmade: Hand-assembled in my studio
• Care: Very fragile. Handle gently and keep protected between wears.

Beauty Undiscovered [PULCHRITUDO OCCULTA]