Irish-born, Venice-based Tom Binns has been creating conversation-starter jewelry for decades. First, he collected vintage and found objects and painstakingly refurbished and embellished them by hand (resulting in such striking and unusual creations as a brooch formed from a Victorian pickle fork skewering a copper bullet casing). Then, a handful of years ago, he helped to popularize the statement necklace trend (Michelle Obama was famously a fan), this time dreaming up oversized, over-embellished pieces that were delightfully costume, capable of transforming the jeans-and-a-tee uniform into a polished outfit. After taking a few years off, Binns came back with his third wave: art jewelry. The collection featured everything from a (fake) Cartier tank watch with a nail driven through the face to a necklace made of hundreds of Barbie doll shoes strewn together. Now, his carefree baubles are back, once again ready to add edge to any ensemble.
