Are you looking for some unique pieces of jewellery? How about wearing beautiful, elegant, and jaw-dropping pearl jewellery in the shape of skulls? Before you leave, please hear me out! You’ve got to see these!
Meet Mr. Shinji Nakaba, a jewellery maker and artist-extraordinaire who has been engaged with jewellery making since 1974. He lives in Tokyo, Japan – the country known for its beautiful art of food carving. His work has been shown not only in museums and galleries throughout Japan but also at museums in North America (Montreal in Canada, and New York).
Skull-shaped Pearls
These beautiful and statement-making skull-shaped pearl jewellery can be bought online through Shinji Nakaba’s website here! Beware of the skull jewellery being sold on Etsy! Mr Nakaba shares on his website that he doesn’t even sell his jewellery on Etsy! His work has his signature on it.
Each pearl skull is unique. On his official online shop, Nakaba shares with his customers that due to the nature of the materials, he can’t replicate the pearl skulls exactly with the ones he makes before. This makes sense considering his method that he speaks of in an interview by Alyssa Shapiro. He shares how he takes the pearl (without a core) as is, and observes its “dents and curves”. He makes sense of where the eyes and teeth etc. should go.
He marks those points in and starts carving out the skull, polishing it near the end. Described in this way, his method sounds like a meditative experience. Though he admits that to him “the contradiction between pristine pearls turning into these dark objects seemed even more appealing”, the skulls carry spiritual symbolism to him.
When asked as to why he chose to carve out skulls, he shared that to him “the artist’s mission is to obscure the border of the other world and the world we live in”, stating that’s what he is going for. He also adds that once a product is created, the product holds more importance than any meaning behind it, as it speaks for itself.
Jewellery Made of Plastic and Fallen Leaves
Nakaba makes jewellery not only out of traditional jewellery material, but also out of materials you wouldn’t associate with jewellery! According to Magnifeco, the list includes the material that makes polyvinyl water pipes as well as iron bolts, recyclable bottles and even nature’s beloved fallen leaves. Nakaba’s work holds a mystical expression for him.
Artist’s Journey
His journey to where he is in his soul work, career, and creative passion is stuff amazing movies are made of! He shares key details in relation to his art from his life story in the interview as well. Resistance to following the status quo and questioning the rules have been amongst key traits in many of the world’s most talented artists throughout time. Not surprisingly then, the case holds true for Nakaba too!
His journey reflects his dedication to his dream of living a creative life. His journey and work can provide honest inspiration to not only artists but anyone with a dream, curiosity and genuine desire for something. During high school, he decided he wanted to live a free life and make his own creations. This led him through a journey through different mediums of art, before finding the one that felt right!
He started off as a dressmaker in his hometown and went through different experiences such as shoemaking, couture dressmaking, and hairstyling. His list of experiences shows a deep interest in working with his hands and making sculptures, be it with dresses, shoes or hair. Finally, he came across jewellery-making, saw it as a way for self-expression that felt right to him, and was hooked. His passion is still ongoing from 1974 to now!
He shares that when carving the skull out of pearl, his “heart is always pounding with excitement”. How passionate he was to learn jewellery making shows through his decision to sell his car in order to buy tools. His commitment shows through his travels to learn from works of the past. Aside from 3 months spent learning traditional jewellery-making techniques at a vocational school, Nakaba is a self-taught jewellery maker.
Seeing how beautiful and unique his work is, I can’t wait to see what else he creates. If my suggestion counts, those dangly skull earrings look pretty cool. Want to see?