Fossil Jewelry, Ancient Materials & Earthly Talismans: Introducing TERRESTRIAL

I went looking for magic in the cosmos. Now I'm bringing you back down to Earth. After exploring meteorites, Libyan Desert Glass, crystals and other celestial materials in STARBORN, I've been thinking about what happens when you stop looking up and start looking down.

Because there is plenty of ancient magic and wisdom here. Under our feet are the remains of ancient oceans, enormous prehistoric animals, extinct species, geological formations and landscapes that existed long before us. Some of these materials have survived for millions of years, carrying traces of worlds that are almost impossible to imagine.

That is where TERRESTRIAL: Return to Earth begins.

This new collection of one-of-a-kind jewelry is an exploration of the ancient, the organic and the earthly. It brings together fossils, teeth, gemstones, turquoise, mineral specimens and other natural materials that tell stories about the world that existed long before we did.

And, as always, I'm interested in what happens when these pieces of history become wearable.

From the Cosmos Back to Earth

STARBORN was about looking outward. I was drawn to materials that seemed almost impossible to hold in your hand: Libyan Desert Glass formed by an ancient cosmic event, meteorites that traveled through space before reaching Earth, and crystals and gemstones with their own geological histories.

TERRESTRIAL takes the opposite direction. Instead of looking into space, I'm looking at the Earth itself. At the creatures that lived here. The oceans that covered places that are now dry land. The stones formed deep beneath the surface. The fragments of ancient life that somehow survived long enough to become part of our own.

There is something grounding about that shift. We spend so much time thinking about the future, the next thing, the next place, the next version of ourselves. Fossils offer a different perspective. They remind us that the Earth has been changing, evolving and reinventing itself for an unimaginably long time.

TERRESTRIAL is about wearing a little piece of that history.

Fossil Jewelry With a Story

Fossils have always been central to my work, particularly megalodon teeth.

Earlier this year, I had the chance to talk with WJZ CBS Baltimore about the megalodon tooth fossil jewelry I create and the inspiration behind working with these incredible ancient materials. The teeth themselves are already extraordinary objects before I ever turn them into jewelry. They are physical evidence of a massive prehistoric shark that once ruled the oceans.

Watch the WJZ CBS Baltimore segment on megalodon tooth jewelry

Megalodon teeth are part of TERRESTRIAL, but they are only one piece of the story. This collection expands into other prehistoric materials, including mammoth fossil material, mastodon tooth, Equus tooth, ammonites and shark teeth. Each one connects us to a different chapter of Earth's history.

An Equus tooth, for example, carries a completely different story than a megalodon tooth. Instead of an ancient ocean predator, it comes from a horse ancestor that once moved across prehistoric frozen landscapes.

That's one of the things I love about working with fossils. They aren't interchangeable. Every material has its own origin, its own texture and its own connection to a particular moment in Earth's history.

Ancient Materials, Earthly Color

TERRESTRIAL isn't only about fossils. I've also been drawn toward materials that feel unmistakably connected to the landscape: turquoise, Wild Horse magnesite and gemstones in shades of mossy green, mustard, blue and earthy neutrals.

The palette is intentionally different from STARBORN.

Where STARBORN leaned into the strange colors and otherworldly surfaces of celestial and cosmic materials, TERRESTRIAL is warmer, more organic and more grounded. Think weathered stone, desert landscapes, ancient bone, ocean fossils, mineral deposits and the colors you find when you actually pay attention to the world around you.

And then there are the feathers. A few pairs of feather and turquoise earrings will make their way into the collection, bringing something lighter and more unexpected into the mix. They still feel connected to the idea of TERRESTRIAL, but they aren't fossils or geological specimens. They are a reminder that the natural world is not only ancient and mineral. It is also living, delicate, tactile and constantly changing.

And there are a few other surprises I haven't revealed yet.

Jewelry as a Talisman

I've always thought of the jewelry I make as more than decoration. A talisman can be a reminder. A grounding object. Something you carry with you because it means something to you, whether or not anyone else knows what that meaning is.

Working with ancient materials makes that idea even more compelling.

Imagine wearing a fragment of a prehistoric ocean predator around your neck. Or a fossil from an animal that walked the Earth thousands of years ago. Or a stone formed through geological processes that began long before human history.

These materials have already endured enormous amounts of time. There is something powerful about carrying that with you.

TERRESTRIAL isn't about pretending these materials are magical in some literal sense. Their history is enough. The fact that they exist at all is remarkable.

But I also believe jewelry can become meaningful through the person who wears it. A fossil tooth can become a talisman. A piece of turquoise can become a grounding stone. A feather can become a reminder of movement, freedom or change. The material brings its history. You bring your own.

A Baltimore Jewelry Artist's Return to Earth

I'm especially excited to introduce TERRESTRIAL at a moment when Become Spellbound is becoming more rooted in Baltimore.

This summer, Become Spellbound was named Best of Baltimore 2026 in the Jeweler category by Baltimore Magazine's Readers' Poll. Being recognized by the people of Baltimore means a tremendous amount to me, especially because this is where I've built my studio, my community and this strange little world of fossil jewelry, crystal talismans and sculptural statement pieces.

It's also fitting that a collection so focused on Earth is coming from Baltimore.

This city has always been part of the work. The materials may come from ancient oceans, prehistoric animals, deserts, mines and geological formations around the world, but the jewelry is made here.TERRESTRIAL is another chapter in that story.

A Return to Earth

TERRESTRIAL: Return to Earth is a collection built around the strange, beautiful things that have been here all along - fossils, prehistoric teeth, minerals, turquoise, gemstones, feathers and other natural materials with stories of their own.

Some pieces will feel familiar. Others will take Become Spellbound somewhere new. And there are still a few surprises to come...

TERRESTRIAL is coming soon.