I’ve admired the easily identifiable style of J Topolski Handmade Goods for its fine detail, exceptional quality and ever so slightly macabre themes. Designer Jenny Topolski’s Colony Collapse Collection was my introduction to her work. She takes bees that died from natural causes (from two beekeeper sources), encases them in resin for all eternity, and makes jewelry from the cabochons. Her Etched Copper Jewelry Collection includes large, vivid sea creatures, like the flowing Giant Squid and billowing Jellyfish necklaces – all fantastic statement pieces.
I caught up with Jenny at the Artists & Fleas Holiday Pop Up in Chelsea Market, with her new and brilliant Suicidal Writer Bookmarks. We all know the stories: Ernest Hemingway with rifle, Hunter S. Thompson with a handgun, and Virginia Woolf with rocks in her pockets. Jenny has created a series of bookmarks featuring portraits of the deceased writers and tiny charms symbolizing their suicide implements of choice. The Virginia Woolf bookmark, for example has a fabulous overcoat charm and several tiny turqoise stones. The Hunter S. Thompson bookmark, as you can see, features a teensy handgun charm. Jenny would like to add a Sylvia Plath bookmark to the collection, but she has yet to find the the right oven charm.
So wrong and yet so very very right.
J. Topolski is at the Artists & Fleas Pop Up through December 31st (closed Sunday, December 25). Normally a Williamsburg denizen, Artists & Fleas has an amazing Manhattan pop up market inside Chelsea Market at the 15th Street/10th Avenue entrance entrance. Pick up superlative gifts for the holidays through Saturday, and then go shopping for yourself next week to celebrate New Year’s Eve!
#KarenSeiger #ErnestHemingway #ArtistsampFleas #NYCMarkets #ChelseaMarket #SylviaPlath #suicideimplementsofchoice #beesinresin #SuicidalWriterBookmarks #rifle #etchedcopperjewelry #HunterSThompson #JTopolskiHandmadeGoods #ColonyCollapseCollection #Sowrongyetsoright #OvenCharm #jellyfishnecklace #statementpieces #MarketsofNewYorkCity #Exceptionalquality #Macabrethemes #JennyTopolski #CelebrateNYC #Manhattan #handgun #Charms #rocksinherpockets #vividseacreatures #giantsquidnecklace #VirginiaWoolf #ArtistsampFleasHolidayPopUp #handguncharm