Spider Jewelry Part III-Poecilotheria Bracelet

Stylishly scary, but chicly creepy.

You probably saw my last Spider Jewelry posts- a hemp necklace and a leather wrap bracelet. These were my first endeavors into the world of creepy crawly art. I thought these were so cool so I asked my cousin (who gave me the last batch of spider molts) if he could get more from the spider lab at his school.

I got an entire lot of spider helmets, fangs, full molts and a couple spider legs. Spiders molt their "skin" just like snakes do, so making jewelry of their molts does not harm them at all!

I've asked Eric to give me a little background information on this specific helmet used in my bracelet. Here's what he had to say:

The cephalothorax molt from the bracelet is from Poecilotheria striata. Poecilotheria is a genus of the family Theraphosidae, made up of 14 species of arboreal (tree-dwelling) tarantula. They are native to Sri Lanka and India (this species specifically is found in India), and are most known for their speed, very colorful markings, and their rather potent venom...(which made me sticking my hand with tweezers down in there all the more stupid and dangerous haha). Depending on the species. Female adults (the molt came from a female) can have anywhere from 6-10" leg spans, with males being a little bit smaller. When roughly translated from Greek, the word Poecilotheria itself means "Colorful Beast"

Pretty awesome right? I loved the cool white stripes on the sides of the helmet which give it a desert-type look. I've decided to use this resin charm and transform into a simple macrame bracelet. I figured reflective and magnetic hematite beads from Cousin Corporation would be the perfect match for a unisex-type bracelet.

Contrasting with silver wire and elements gives a modern vibe. Last time there were a lot of bubbles in my charm, because the natural material was slowly leaking air and creating bubbles throughout the curing process. This time, there were a lot less bubbles because I was able to catch most of them before it was too cured to mess with. There was one bubble caught right on the helmet, but it sort of blends into the white coloring. It will get better each time!

It all comes together to create a simple yet interesting piece! I've still got a lot more material to use; check back soon for more spidey items!
All images and text copyright Allison Beth Cooling. DO NOT post/use without crediting me!