Along with a lot of awesome reptiles, I met an artist who makes jewelry NARBC. Her name is Jessica and she makes jewelry out of "dragonhide"- specially-treated reptile sheds. I'm not sure if she keeps any reptiles of her own, but she has a ton of experience handling their skins!
Now, just to be clear: No reptiles were harmed in the making of these necklaces. Reptiles shed their skin in papery bits in the case of lizards, and papery tubes in the case of snakes. A fresh, bright skin is underneath.
These are really awesome up-close. Even with, say, a red heart beneath the snake's natural texture, it's easy to tell what snake the shed came from. This one with an iguana spinal ridge is particularly eye-popping. Don't buy snake leather- buy these!
I also got to see her making a few trinkets. While I could not get a full, in-depth look at the crafting process (trade secret!), what I managed to see reminded me of papier mache. I can't say anything beyond that except...
...buy them. I donated a few sheds to the cause of awesome jewelry. Eclair's sheds are among them; the artist is trying to get sheds from 50 different species by the end of this year and was missing a rosy boa. Her website is at www.herpaintology.com, but I would recommend checking out her Etsy page instead. Everything's nice and organized, there.
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