When I was in my early twenties I briefly dated a blues musician and one of his good musician friends – Joanne Shaw Taylor – a no holds barred guitar goddess; go look her up – showed me a gorgeous piece of jewellery she had recently acquired. She told me it was from a shop in Covent Garden called Crazy Pig Designs.
My boyfriend at the time was also interested in this so called “Rock Star jewellery” so we both went down there for some window shopping. I wasn’t particularly on the market for a piece of jewellery but it’s one of those things when you know, you know; the one… it just talks to you.
So, in about 10 minutes flat I’d treated myself to a rather sensational looking sterling silver ring for my middle finger. Now, I’m not talking about just a sensible sized ring for a lady, this is a motherfucker of a statement in the shape of an anatomical skull hand crafted for a proper woman (or man, as it’s unisex). It’s not for the faint hearted!
Crazy Pig designs is the brainchild of the crazily talented silversmith (and guitarist) Armand Serra. His edgy, macabre and purely rock and roll silversmithing skills have continued to be commissioned by a long list of musicians, celebrities, actors galore since the 1980s. I do believe he started his silversmithing career at The Great Frog in London before he started his own Crazy Pig Designs (named after a band name he wanted but his band mates vetoed) and I am so glad he did. Armand’s designs are incomparable in quality and life-likeness. The image below shows my Crazy Pig ring called the Live Skull ring which is the best anatomical skull ring I have seen; believe me, I’ve looked at so many skull rings and none of them are quite as good as this one.
My love for this ring has not diminished, if anything, I love it more than ever. As you can see, it rarely leaves my finger. The quality of the silver is outstanding, it is so heavy -it’s solid silver not hollow and looks as amazing now as it did the day I bought it over 5 years ago. It’s my pride and joy, my baby. I wouldn’t be me without my Crazy Pig Live Skull ring and I simply cannot wait to add more to my collection.
Here are a few of their pieces that I am hoping to add to my collection over the next few years (when I’m not saving for a house deposit!)
The Tudor Wing Pendant
The Devil Made Me Do It ring
and the XL Skull Bracelet (a very large statement indeed!)
Beth Von Black, The Blog 
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