Victorian "Raj Era" Tiger Claw Earrings circa 1880Contrary to popular belief, Crocodile Dundee did not usher in the "claw as jewelry" trend. Tiger claw jewelry came into vogue with the British colonization of India from 1858 to 1947. This period, known as the British Raj (Hindi for 'rule'), was a time when clever [scumbag] entrepreneurs created a market which catered to the tastes of souvenir collecting British Victorians. This style of jewelry, now referred to as “Raj” died out in the early 1900's (and with it thousands of unsuspecting lions, tigers, and a myriad of other clawed creatures).
The claw is now experiencing a resurgence in popularity, with designers pushing the aesthetic of sophisticated savagery into uncharted territory. Thankfully, no animals were harmed in the making of these new pieces. (For those of you partial to birds, click here for last month's bird claw feature.)
5 comments:
Jules Kim Serpant Nail Rings are a tough act to follow but if anyone can top 'em it will be Yum Yum!
Those Victorian "Raj Era" Tiger Claw Earrings are BEAUTIFUL. I really want them.
astonishing! i love every piece and especially love the nail, fingertip rings :)
I've never seen anything like those nail rings. Wow!
Visual metaphor for clawing one's way to the top...perhaps?
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