The world of Steampunk is currently enjoying a renaissance.
Out of all the strange and fascinating Steampunk accessories that go with this Neo- Victorian art form, my passion is for Steampunk Jewelry.
When I see someone wearing Steampunk Jewelry, it’s like a symbol, as recognisable as the compass and setsquare of the freemasons, the pentagram of the Wiccans or the Ankh of the Goths (and lets not forget Ancient Egyptians!).
In my mind there is so much more to Steampunk Jewelry than cogs and old watch parts glued to rings and pendants, with the repurposing of these components there is an intrinsic appreciation of the skill and artistry of the past.
Securing old watch parts has become no easy task, as enthusiasts are snapping up vintage timepieces and contemporary watches are comprised mainly of plastic, making them irrelevant.
Whilst there has always been a collectable market for wonderfully crafted timepieces
Sadly broken or less collectable watches were discarded, but with the Steampunk movement the intricate and beautiful objects of yesteryear have been given a new lease of life.
When you open the watches and clocks of yesteryear it’s like opening a treasure chest; you’ll often find rubies along with the elaborate and gorgeous movements.
With the resetting of these movements and rearrangement of the components these antiquated artefacts take on a fresh new relevance in this wonderful and intricate art form.
There’s no doubt that Jules Verne’s 1869 tale “20,000 Leagues under the Sea” could be considered a Steampunk classic, along with the works of HG Wells. Quite what these authors would make of the term “Steampunk” is another thing altogether.
So I’m absolutely delighted to hear that one of my favorite Film Makers; David Fincher will be directing this Neo Victorian classic! I loved Seven, Fight Club and Zodiac and whilst they are in no way considered Steampunk they’re definitely dark classics.
When asked what the appeal of filming 20,000 Leagues hold for him, David Fincher responded “”You know, the idea of doing a gigantic Steampunk science fiction movie from 1873″
It’s surprising that so far there have been no out and out Steampunk blockbuster movies and whilst there have been many recent films with Neo Victorian leanings, no one has yet made a definitive Steampunk film – here’s hoping this will be the first of many!
Almost every day there seems to be some fresh and new invention in the world of Steampunk, but never in my most feverish of dreams would I have considered a Steampunk Mr. Potato Head, yet he is here he is!
Mr. Potato Head has been around since 1952 in one form or another, but perhaps the maker, George Lerner, found the blueprints from 1852 in some sort of bizarre time capsule.
I’d love to see some more accessories made available for this Neo-Victorian Mr. Potato Head, perhaps a walking cane (or better yet, swordstick), a trusty revolver for more fiendish adventures, pocket watch and if he gets especially thirsty, a small hipflask of port or brandy.
To see more of this wonderful Steampunk creation, visit the inventor’s Flickr page below:
The Steampunk Cufflinks I sell in my Etsy shop, London Particulars, have been selling like hot cakes recently. Perhaps hot cakes is a poor analogy. I can’t remember the last time I bought a “hot cake”. OK, perhaps to rephrase, my cufflinks have been selling like very popular cakes of no fixed temperature.
I have so many different types of watch movements and each make has its own unique features but through working with vintage watch parts through the last couple of years, Elgin are definitely a favorite, they always seem to have the most exceptional gleam!
The Elgin watch company was created in eighteen sixty four at the end of the civil war and over the course of a hundred years, they made around sixty million watches. I’ve fashioned quite a few Steampunk Cufflinks, but going by that number, there are still a lot of vintage Elgin watch movements to hunt down…
Steampunk is continuously crossing boundaries and genres and it’s only natural that it’s found its way to Star Wars through the work of artist Greg Peltz.
I love this Steampunked Boba Fett, one of the more popular characters from the film which is weird considering what a minor role he had in the first films; it must have been that enigmatic mask, the strong silent bounty hunter…
As the artist points out, Boba is now clad in Neo Victorian coat and tails which may play havoc with his jet-pack. Other Steampunked characters on the artist’s site include Darth Vader in civil war attire, a dapper 3CPO and Chewbacca complete with monocle.
Visit Greg Peltz’s site to see more Steampunk Star Wars:
In dark times those who are ahead of the curve, particularly ladies and gentlemen of a Steampunk persuasion, will be preparing themselves for all eventualities.
Many folk are naturally concerned with portends concerning a full scale zombie apocalypse.
Whilst some may scoff, only the other day, I clearly saw the distinctive outline of a zombie hoard in my tea leaves.
Not only that, whilst dashing through collection of shopping emporiums (all under one roof) I could distinctly see the first signs of the brainless undead, peering absently and vacuously through windows at clothes and inanimate objects.
So what better way than for a Neo Victorian adventurer to kit themselves out for impending calamity than with this Steampunk Gun, the Liberator, fashioned by a gentleman with a wonderful moniker; Colonel J. Fizziwig…
Would you look at that this Steampunk marvel!
A spectacular piece of Neo Victorian craftsmanship created by Richard R. Nagy of Datamancer.net.
If I had more shillings in my coffers I’d be highly tempted to secure this in the auction currently taking place on eBay. Alas, I cannot stretch to the sum being asked, being one thousand and five hundred pennies (or cents), not without selling more Steampunk Jewelry this month at any rate!
The keyboard is made from solid brass and antiquated leather and also includes genuine keys from the nineteen thirties/forties.
Imagine the sorts of novels you could conjure up using such a wonderful device and with some of the modded monitors and Steampunk USB sticks doing the rounds, you really could have some fully functioning Neo-Victorian marvels for your home office.
This is one of my latest Steampunk Necklaces, a charming, bejeweled butterfly caught upon a chain.
The Butterfly has many meanings in folklore and symbology.
For the Germans, butterflies were believed to be witches trying to steal the cream from the butter churns, whilst for the Mandarin Chinese, butterflies are a symbol of a long life.
The Russian’s word for Butterfly signifies the tiny creatures were associated with the soul and so to for the ancient Greeks, whose word for butterfly is “psyche”, which literally means soul.
My Steampunk Butterfly is a study in Violet and Pink, with a Vintage Ruby Jeweled Watch Movement and Amethyst and Rose Swarovski Crystals, mounted upon a silver plated filigree butterfly and can mean whatever you want it to!
Whilst the new USBTypewriter™ isn’t really Steampunk, I think anyone with a love of the antiquated merging with future technologies will love this new invention.
The maker, Jack Zylkin, describes the gadget as a “new and groundbreaking innovation in the field of obsolescence” and whilst this may be true, personally I love obsolescence! Steampunk Jewelry is an art form which is borne from obsolescence with all of those gorgeous vintage watch movements being rescued from the yawning abyss of ever growing landfill.
As you can see from the video, you get the aesthetic pleasure of using an old fashioned typewriter which serves as your keyboard with the attendant tip-tapping clatter of the typewriter, hooked up by USB to your PC, MAC or Ipad for a very strange fusion of old and new.
The USBTypewriter™ seems like the perfect way to get your Steampunk novel written, in retro-futuristic fashion and style!
To see more, visit:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/usbtypewriter
Here’s some more roundups from the world of Steampunk:
steampunk science museum show at oxford uk – art donovan from the oxford university museum of the history of science sez, “i have been given the great honor of curating the world’s very first museum exhibition of steampunk art. seventeen artists from seven countries- the steampunk …
new york city – city of steam (robot included) – i’m on the lookout for some victorian era clothes to wear to the steampunk themed chaos communications congress this winter. if you’ve got a source or costume shop to recommend, let me know. while searching for top hats, bow ties, …
DeWitt Incognito Steampunk Watch | Impact Lab – DeWitt Incognito Steampunk Concept No. 1 Man, watches don’t get much cooler or crazier looking than the DeWitt Concept No. 1, a one-of-a-kind timepiece.
steampunk fashion going mainstream – steampunk fashion-wear is now all the rage. steampunk is a subculture that encapsulates the aesthetic expression of a time-traveling fantasy world, one that embraces music, film, design and now fashion, all inspired by the extravagantly …
Steampunk Costume » Blog Archive » Steampunk Sound Effects: The … – This is my diy project “steampunk doomsday machine”. it is a fuzz /compressor like external effect .But i made it with decent steampunk influences. So with a lot of wood and brass/ copper .At the top you see two 230 volts DC driven …
Steampunk Dreams over at ZBS – What utter joy this morning to open my mailbox and find a little gift from ZBS, one of their new, heavy-duty, industrial strength steampunk state of mind.
steampunk laptop winds up to power on – this amazing laptop creation by datamancer beautifully melds old world style with modern technology. under the hood of this lovingly handcrafted wood case is a hewlett-packard zt1000 notebook computer, running windows xp and ubuntu …
I’ve just added a new page to Steampunk Jewelry which will feature interviews and photographs of Steampunk Makers and Artists.
This week I’m featuring an interview with Mark Eliot Schwabe, a designer of Neo-Victorian wonders and all sorts of fascinating crafts and sculptures, an artist extraordinaire with a great story in how he found his place in the constantly evolving world of Steampunk.
Over the coming weeks I hope to add to this new page, whilst keeping the main page for my latest Steampunk Jewelry designs and snippets of news of the strange and bizarre!
You can find the interview with Mark Eliot Schwabe by clicking on the all-new Steampunk page.
