Search for “fantasy jewelry” online and you’ll typically find two worlds. The first is mass-produced costume pieces — think zinc alloy dragons, resin gemstones, plated (or non plated) base metal. They look great in a product photo, but longevity or user wear experience is usually an issue with this world. The second world is smaller, harder to find, and made of solid precious metals by trained goldsmiths. That’s the world I work in.
I make fantasy-inspired jewelry in sterling silver and solid gold. Not plated or filled. Not cast from a mold shared by other sellers. Most pieces are hand-carved in wax, cast through the ancient lost wax process, and finished at my bench. For my one-of-a-kind work, the mold is destroyed after a single casting. What comes out of the pour will never be made again.
That’s not just a marketing line. It’s actually my studio practice.
What “Fantasy Jewelry” Actually Means at Skölland
Fantasy doesn’t have to mean costume-y, cartoon-ish, or theatrical. At Skölland, fantasy means drawing from the same well that Tolkien drew from — mythology, folklore, celestial imagery, medieval architecture, and the darker corners of human experience. The imagery is rooted in real traditions: Norse mythology, Celtic symbolism, gothic architecture, astronomical charts. But the pieces aren’t historical reproductions. They’re translations of those sources into something wearable, personal, and permanent.
The Alchemist — the largest and most intricate pendant I’ve ever made. Hand-sculpted shelves, a cauldron, herbs, and flush-set gemstones in Argentium silver with 14K gold accents. One of a kind. The mold was destroyed. → View The Alchemist
The Alchemist is what fantasy jewelry looks like when it’s treated as art rather than merchandise. It took days of wax carving at a scale where the details push the limits of what the medium can hold. Every shelf, every herb bundle, every star on the bottom shelf is shaped by hand. The flush-set tourmaline and sapphires catch light like tiny stars in the sky at night. This piece weighs something — physically and emotionally.
You won’t get that from a store that solely focuses on trends, and you can’t replicate the essence of piece like this in a CAD file. You can only get it from someone sitting at a bench with a carving tool, spending days on a single wax model that will be subsequently destroyed in the casting process.
The Bookshelf Necklaces: Miniature Worlds in Silver
My bookshelf necklaces are where the fantasy element is most literal. Each one is a hand-sculpted scene — tiny shelves holding miniature books, cauldrons, celestial objects, herbs, and symbolic elements that tell a story specific to that piece. The Chiron necklace is named for the wounded healer of Greek mythology. The Sorceress’s Cauldron is built for a witch. Each one draws from a different corner of mythology and magic.
Chiron — a named for the centaur who transformed pain into wisdom. A rising sun above a cauldron, books lining the shelves beneath. Argentium silver. One of a kind. →View Chiron
The Sorceress’s Cauldron — a hand-sculpted functional silver cauldron in Argentium silver. One of a kind. → View The Sorceress’s Cauldron
These pieces are collector items. They’re not meant to be worn lightly — they’re meant to be worn deliberately, by someone who chose this pendant because the myth it references means something to them personally. That’s the difference between surface level, trend driven fantasy jewelry as costume and art focused fine fantasy jewelry with meaning.
Dark Fantasy Jewelry or Mythology on Your Hand
The rings follow the same philosophy but in a different form. The Battle Ring draws from the Celtic Morrigan saga —The Morrigan is the goddess of war, fate, and sovereignty. The V-shaped profile and crossed sword engravings give it a raw, almost weaponized geometry. The Dragon Scale Wedding Band wraps an entire band in little,ever repeating dragon scales. The Interweave Ring holds two serpents pulling in opposite directions, set with contrasting gemstones — a piece about transformation, rendered in silver and stone.
The Battle Ring — Celtic Morrigan-inspired. Crossed sword engravings and V-shaped profile. Continuum silver or gold. → View the Battle Ring
Dragon Scale Ring — hand-carved scales wrapping the entire band. An alternative wedding ring for couples who want fantasy built into their forever. → View the Dragon Scale Ring
Interweave Ring — two serpents, two stones, moving in opposite directions. Argentium silver with peridot and peach zircon. One of a kind. → View Interweave
Why Precious Metals Matter for Fine Fantasy Jewelry
Costume fantasy jewelry serves a purpose. If you need a dragon ring for a weekend convention and you’re not looking to invest, something from temu or amazon does the job. But if you want something you’ll wear every day for the next twenty years — something that develops character with wear, that can be resized when your fingers change, that can be passed to your son or daughter — it needs to be made from metal that can handle a lifetime and needs to be made from a metal that other jewelers will still be working with in the future.
I work in Argentium silver (a more tarnish-resistant patented sterling silver formulation), continuum silver (harder, ideal for wedding bands if gold or platinum is not an option), and solid gold from 10K to 18K. These are materials that age well. Sterling silver develops a patina over time that adds depth to the carved details, a great option if gold isn’t in the cards for you or if you’re looking for a large elaborate piece. Gold holds value, and 10K & 14K formulations are ideal for daily wear. The best part? Both metals can be repaired or modified by other jewelers- if you ever need a repair or want to modify the piece in the future- the metal and stones from your piece can be melted down and used in a new piece. ( you typically can’t do this with costume jewelry)
One Maker. One Mold. One Piece.
Every Skölland piece is made by one person in a studio in Door County, Wisconsin. There’s no production team, no outsourced casting house, no pieces being resold. When you buy a piece from me, you’re buying something that was carved, cast, and finished by the same set of hands.
For my one-of-a-kind work, the mold is destroyed after a single casting. The piece that survives the pour is the only one that will ever exist~ it’s how lost wax casting works when you choose not to mold a piece. I choose not to save it.
If you’ve been looking for fantasy jewelry that’s built to last as long as the myths it draws from, you’re in the right place.
If you're ready to explore you can → Shop Skölland
~ Claire Steckel, Skölland Jewelry
skollandjewelry.com