There can only be one Tom Binns. I am clearly a big fan and you can see why if you go to Boutique To You or CreativeContrast.  When I stumbled upon these sites, I discovered his Second collection for Tim Burton's upcoming Alice in Wonderland movie is now available for pre-order. Pre-order!! By golly, they are very sure his jewelry is going to sell like hot cakes.

I don't think they are wrong. I've never been so tempted in my life. The first designs shown here are from his Second Collection. These not expensive pieces - some are under $100. So owning a Tom Binns piece is within reach.

Who else would do a rabbit clock pendant ? On the reverse side, it reads "Time is funny in dreams". Or the multi chain Alice key and keyhole necklace ?

His resin Queen of Hearts drop earrings  is pure vintage Tom Binns.


His Mad Hatter button earrings feature tiny scissor charms. Brilliant! Think about it. How would you go about designing pieces from Alice in Wonderland?

I much prefer the Second Collection to his First which are the high end pieces - hundreds of dollars. They are really statement necklaces and will suit bolder wearers than me.  Below is his Smashing Time necklace featuring ceramic crockery.

His Roses are Red necklace offers a peek through the keyhole dressed with hematite chains, ruby pearls, amethyst, Swarovski crystals, and his trade mark gold safety pins.


However, I do like his Mad Hatter double wrap suede bracelet draped with chains and Alice in Wonderland charms.


In the upcoming movie, Johnny Depp plays the Mad Hatter. Did you know there were once mad hatters? The making of felt hats in the 17th to 19th century was a dangerous occupation because mercury compounds were used to cure the felt. The "carroting" process involved washing animal furs in an orange colored solution containing mercuric nitrate - which may have inspired the orange color of Depp's character's hair. The workers suffered from mercury poisoning due to handling and inhaling the highly toxic substance.They drooled, shook and twitched, couldn't talk or walk properly, lost their hair, behaved erratically and in severe cases, died.

Why use mercury? There is a old story passed down by hatters which sounds plausible. Felt hat makers in Turkey used camel hair and discovered camel urine sped up the felting process. The alkaline urine did a great job of loosening hair fibers - tanners also once used urine to remove hair/fur from animal skins.  A 17th century French felt worker who also used his own urine supposedly made better felt because he was being treated with a mercury compound for syphilis at the time. That was before antibiotics so the cure was in some ways worse than the disease.

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
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