House Relic: The Rat Earring

14K Gold Rat with Articulated Tail 

Details

Metal
14K yellow gold throughout

Dimensions
The hoops are 8mm in diameter. The rat measures 1.5 inches long and are 6mm at its widest.

Origins
Rat is sculpted by Karen Yost in wax and newly cast in 14K yellow gold.
Tail is a piece of a vintage snake chain necklace. It is articulated 14K gold chain, built to move freely with the rat's body and yours.
Earring is a vintage 14K yellow gold hoop with high-polish finish.

IMPORTANT This listing is for a single earring 

Availability
Limited House Relic production in small batches. Right now there is one available.

Shipping
in stock and ready to ship. Arrives gift wrapped in a heart shaped, velvet box. One of one run for now with the possibility of more drops.

The Rat

You see the gold hoop first. Then you realize there is a very small rat hanging from it. That delayed discovery is part of the joy of this earring.

I sculpted the rat by hand in wax before casting him in 14K yellow gold, keeping him deliberately tiny without sacrificing the details that make him unmistakably rat. The rat is particularly notable in that it is 14K gold chain, liquid in its movement. It swings and curves independently when you move.

Why Rats

I loves rats. Not abstractly, but enough to have kept them as pets for several years.

Once you actually know rats, their reputation starts to feel totally unreliable. They are wildly intelligent, social, curious, affectionate, resourceful, and excellent problem-solvers. They remember. They learn. They form attachments. And they have managed to survive almost everywhere humans have, usually while being blamed for having the nerve to succeed at it.

They may be the ultimate underdog. That makes the rat profoundly Anomaly. I have always had a weakness for the creatures other people dismiss, misunderstand, or would rather not look at too closely. Put that creature in 14K gold, give its tail actual movement, and suddenly the animal people chase out of an alley becomes the most interesting thing hanging from your ear.

One Ear. One Rat.

Wear him alone on one ear, put him into a second or third piercing, or add him to an ear already crowded with gold, diamonds, and other small evidence of questionable taste in the best possible sense. He does not need a matching rat on the other side to make sense.

How It Feels to Wear

There is something satisfying about wearing an animal with such a terrible reputation in solid 14K gold. This piece is for the collector who understands that intelligence, survival, and a complete refusal to disappear are qualities worth gilding. 

The House Relic

House Relics are my original designs, built from the strange visual language she has been developing at the bench for decades. They are produced in small quantities because each piece still has to pass through the maker’s hands to be cast, assembled, finished, and made right.

Collection
House Relics

Make
Hand-finished by Karen Yost in NYC

Jewelry Care

Store the earring separately in a soft-lined box or pouch so the articulated tail cannot catch against other jewelry.

Clean gently with warm water, mild soap, and a soft cloth when needed. Avoid harsh chemicals, and remove the earring before using lotions, perfumes, or hair products.

Claim this relic.

QUESTIONS? Please ask me anything you want right HERE.
I will reply as soon as possible.