WHAT IS “STEAMPUNK”?

Gears, brass, glass, copper, dirigibles, steam-powered locomotives, clockwork machines, inventors, airship pirates, and inevitably … goggles. It is a re-imagined pseudo-history with a Victorian aesthetic, flying machines reminiscent of Leonardo Da Vinci, and retro-futuristic rayguns. The “steam” in the term is not necessarily literal, but denotes an earlier stage of human innovation and technology. The “punk” is added a la the term “cyberpunk.” Generally, there’s a spirit of rebellion — whether it’s fictional characters rebelling against a tyrannical overlord, or real-life individuals rebelling against the boring, mass-produced clothing and merchandise of modern life.

The term was first applied to a sub-genre of fiction in the 1980s, but “steampunk” has become an umbrella term encompassing fashion, housewares, music, computer modifications, and movies. Sometimes referred to as “Neo-Victorianism.” For additional information, see the wikipedia entry or Steampunk 101. For a hilarious romp through what is Not Remotely Steampunk, check out Regretsy.

STEAMPUNK JEWELRY

My steampunk jewelry is suffused not only with a lifetime of jewelry-making experience, but a love of Art Nouveau and the Victorian, Edwardian and Wild West periods. As a child, I adored Disney’s version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and spent a lot of time on the Main Street of Disneyland with its penny arcade and ice cream parlor. I loved watching the 1960 Time Machine movie whenever it was rerun on TV, and I had a big crush on Malcolm McDowell in Time After Time. I was really into Michael Moorcock, grandfather of steampunk, during the 1980’s.

I have fond childhood memories of building my own coin-operated fortune teller and mechanical horse race contraptions, and I’ve been making Neo-Victorian, Gothic, recycled and found art jewelry for more than a decade. But I didn’t actually hear the term “steampunk” until 2007. I was sitting with a friend in an Irish pub, under the watchful eyes of W.B. Yeats’ portrait, discussing my interest in what I called the “brass-and-copper, psuedo-Victorian, mechanistic, retro-sci-fi motifs” seen in such movies as Howl’s Moving Castle, Wild Wild West, and Return to Oz. I lamented that all my life I’d searched for some word to encompass it, and the best I could come up with was “Wellsian.”

My friend said, “I know the word, it’s called steampunk.”

At that time, a Google search of “steampunk jewelry” turned up very little. The only thing I found was Datamancer’s work. Now, several pieces and many years later, my steampunk jewelry designs are been featured in the book “Steampunk Style Jewelry” by Jean Campbell (my projects are on pages 50, 90 and 96) and “1000 Steampunk Creations.” And there is now a huge community of steampunk jewelry artists.

I admit, I am much less interested in anime and goggles than I am in the actual history of the time period. For this reason, I have taken to calling several of my pieces “Neo-Victorian” rather than “steampunk,” and I also draw from what I call “spacepunk” influences such as Joss Whedon’s “Firefly.” Sometimes, I’m not sure where one style ends and another begins. My work is infused with both modern and vintage motifs, nature and machine, history and future.

HOW THEY ARE MADE

Each piece is an individual, serendipitous work of art. They are constructed, not cast, and not carved. I am not making them from ceramic or art clay. I am assembling actual watch parts, findings, charms, found items, new and old materials into wearable adornment. I am not a watchmaker, and I do not make working watches or mini-machines (as much as I wish I could), though some of my pieces do have movable parts. See pics of my studio here.

Here’s a tutorial I made for a really easy steampunk ring project. My original designs take a lot longer to make, and incorporate several more antique and found items, but this gives you a little idea of what it’s like when I make jewelry.

ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE MORE?

Yes! At any given time, I am at work on several new pieces and I add new ones as often as I can. I love making steampunk jewelry. But it takes me awhile because I have to hunt for appropriate materials, and these designs are more complex and unusual than my other jewelry. I also have a very busy schedule. Making jewelry is only a side project for me. My full-time work includes writing, volunteering, and homeschooling my children.

HOW CAN I GET ONE?

I recommend subscribing to my website via a blog reader/RSS feed. You may also follow me on Facebook, Twitter and deviantART.

I am not accepting commissions or special requests at this time. My schedule is too busy and unpredictable.

RADIUM CAUTION

Some watch faces and hands were painted with radium in the early 1900’s, to make them glow in the dark. According to a thread I found at the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, another on eBay, and an Australian government website, the radium is not a problem so long as it’s not ingested. The Radium Girls, who suffered radiation poisoning while painting watches in the early 1900s, handled thousands of watch parts, licked their brushes to keep them in shape, and painted their teeth, nails and faces with radium paint, for fun.

In my Steampunk pieces, I rarely use watch faces or hands, and when I do, they are often coated with resin, which would keep the paint from flaking off and being accidentally ingested. Most of the time, I use gears, bridges and other internal parts, combined with new materials, and these parts have no known association with radioactivity. I have never noticed any of my materials glowing in the dark.

I do want to make it clear that, regardless of my precautions, I have no way to 100% guarantee the condition of any vintage, recycled or found parts, in regards to radioactivity, or to lead, nickel, aluminum or any other content. Steampunk, found art and jewelry items which contain vintage or recycled parts will be clearly described as such, in the item description.

THE CARE AND KEEPING OF YOUR STEAMPUNK JEWELRY

While my steampunk creations are meant to be worn, keep in mind that they are also individual works of art and should be handled with care. Some pieces have gears and parts which might be sharp and pointy, might catch on clothing, or might break off. I try to make them as solid as possible, but just like any jewelry, it’s best not to wear it while working, sleeping, exercising, showering, swimming, or other similar activities.

Filed under: Jewelry