ROACH brooch
with chain and stone cabochon
Turn some heads with this roach brooch, adorned with a brass and goldtone accessory chain to connect to your lapel, your shirt, your backpack, or wherever you please. The lapel pin contains a black onyx or green aventurine cabochon. Wear it for any occasion, formal or casual, and you are sure to receive compliments (or at least a few side-eyes) on this unusual piece.
The curiosity of live insects being worn as adornments or jewelry has existed through the ages, from ancient Egyptian soldiers wearing scarab beetles into battle, to Victorians causing fashionable chaos by wearing live caged insects, to the Mexican and Mayan traditions of the maquech—a zopherus beetle encrusted in gold and semi-precious gemstones, on a leash pinned to the wearer.
We created this roach brooch as a tip of the hat to Victorian audacity, mixed with a worldly tradition and expression of respect for the insect and a fascination with the macabre. We’d love for you to imagine what it must have been like to have a live insect crawling up and around your shoulder as people try to have a normal conversation.
“Oh, this old thing?”
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You will receive:
(1) Roach pin with brooch pin back
(1) Cabochon lapel pin with chain
(1) Deluxe locking pinback* for the lapel pin
Measurements
- Cabochon base + chain = approximately 155mm
- Roach brooch = 55mm
Materials
- Brass roach focal piece
- Goldtone chain, jump rings, cabochon tray, lapel pin base, brooch pin base, deluxe locking pinback
- 10mm black onyx or green aventurine cabochon
*We have upgraded the typical butterfly pinback on the lapel pin to a deluxe locking pinback because in our experiments those butterfly pinbacks have a tendency to go missing, and we really didn’t want you to stab yourself or look messy. In order to open a locking pinback, you must hold the base of the pinback and pull the “stopper” end to release the pin (while pulling the pinback off of the pin.) You can do this with one hand with some practice. We intend on upgrading all of our future lapel pins to this style because they will save your pins from getting lost significantly more often, which allows you to keep them on backpacks, coats, etc.
We have also made the cabochon lapel pin chain separate from the brooch itself to give you more variety in wearing. You can wear the chain with another brooch or you can wear the cockroach brooch on its own. Style as you like!
*Please note that all focal pieces are somewhat unique due to the production and molding process, and may have their own character, scratches, patina, bends, and indentations. We do not recommend bending small parts as they may break.