What I should have added to my trend forecast was the type of animal jewelry that would come into vogue. During the 20^th century, and in my Creatures exhibit, brooches dominated. Now animal rings are climbing to the top of the category along with some pretty amazing pendants. But it was the rings that really caught my eye at COUTURE. There were any number of adorable styles. The quality of an animal jewel feeling like your pet is in full force when you can look down at it on your hand. Find out more about the designs from ARMAN SARKISYAN, DARIUS JEWELS, HARWELL GODFREY and RENNA below.

Harwell Godfrey

The award-winning designer Lauren Harwell Godfrey transformed her guided tour with me at the museum into an utterly unique HARWELL GODFREY collection of creatures named Menagerie. To say it is flattering that I could play any small part in inspiring this super talent is a massive understatement. To say I love every piece, doesn’t begin to cover how much I adore them.

For our purposes here, I am zeroing in on the Claw Ring. Lauren added lots of design flourishes to the piece like her signature triangular shapes, a symbol of empowerment. On the teeth of the claw, she set diamonds upside down so the pointy culets on the bottom of the stone would add texture.

If a crab claw may seem like an unusual choice for a jewel, it’s personal to Lauren. “I honeymooned in Bora Bora where there are crabs on the shoreline and I bought a pearl there,” explains the designer. “The way the crab guards the pearl in the ring makes it a symbol of protection.” The designer also admitted Tamatoa, the crab in Moana she has watched countless times with her son, might have played a role in the Claw ring coming to life. Now, that’s what I call adding a contemporary chapter to animal jewelry history.

Darius Jewels

The creations of Los Angeles based designer Darius Khonsary of DARIUS JEWELS look like lost treasure from an archeological dig in Persia. And there is a good reason for that. The designer’s heritage links back to the region. Like the ancients, Darius believes in jewelry as a talisman and often illustrates the point with mythical creatures from legends and lore.

The zodiac located in a chapel dedicated to Osiris in the Egyptian Hathor temple at Dendera inspired the forms of her Scorpion and Crab rings. “With all of our animal imagery we are reviving an ancient memory of our own natural history,” explains Darius. “The twinkling old mine cut diamonds evoke the feeling that the creatures are spellbound, captured in a moment but still radiating life itself.”

Renna

The genesis of the beach and surf culture vibe in Renna Taher’s RENNA collection began when she was nine years old and found two coffee bean shells on Salt Creek Beach in Laguna, California. After Renna relocated to New York City and decided to become a jewelry designer, she made the coffee bean shell the foundation motif of her gold jewelry collection.

Radiating out from this simple element Renna has added in any number of other aquatic inspired designs including Octopus rings. “Octopi are just so innately elegant in their curves and lines, I love the way they rhythmically undulate through the sea so I knew I had to incorporate them into my collection in a meaningful way,” explains Renna.

The reverse hand carved rock crystal designs featuring the octopus are backed with grey mother-of-pearl. When light passes through the gems, which do not have a metal backing, it almost appears to animate the octopus on the start of a swim.

Arman Sarkisyan

From his studio in Los Angeles, ARMAN SARKISYAN brings his dreamy gold, oxidized silver and gem-set jewelry to life using age old techniques. One signature element is hand engraving which covers the front of lockets, pendant earrings and rings. All manner of romantic motifs decorate the designs including birds.

The various symbolic meaning of the birds featured in rings inspires the designer. “Doves are a powerful emblem of peace, and the Peace on Earth ring illustrates the bird carrying its hopeful message around the globe,” explains Arman. “The Mother & Child ring is an example of one of the dove’s other symbolic meanings, love, showing the deep familial bond between a mother and her offspring.” The symbolism creates the type of layered meaning that has added to the allure of animal jewelry for centuries.