Miss Schnabel of Bloodmilk is not your average jeweler.  You won’t see diamond engagement rings, mass-produced pendants or hoop earrings in her collection.  Instead, she believes that jewelry provides “psychic armour.”  Her work is thoughtful, & exquisitely strange.

If the love of your life is more a fan of the Brothers Grimm than Jon & Kate Plus 8, maybe a Bloodmilk bear tooth engagement ring is what she’s always dreamed of.  Perhaps a sterling silver ouija planchette necklace is more her cup of tea.  This is jewelery worn by unusual girls, the type who read tarot cards & prefer absinthe & wouldn’t be caught dead in Urban Outfitters.  From two-finger owl skull rings to sparrow claw lariat necklaces, Bloodmilk pieces are dark but delicate, beautiful & obscene.

I discovered Bloodmilk entirely by happenstance, & as soon as I saw Our Darling funerary ring, I was smitten.  A few days later, the ring — cast from an antique image that was typically laid over the grave of a child — was on my finger, & I haven’t taken it off since.

Miss Schnabel’s work is so beautiful, but it doesn’t betray much.  I wanted a peek at the girl behind the curtain.  Thankfully, she was willing to oblige me.

Describe Bloodmilk for us.
Miss Schnabel: Bloodmilk is a line of “supernatural jewelry for surrealist darlings.”  It is a wearable exploration of a hybrid of philosophies, spiritual traditions and surrealist thought seen through my lens and created with my hands.

What is inspiring you right now?
Miss Schnabel: Conjoined twins & doppelgängers. They seem to have a visual connection but are very different entities.  The ‘otherness’ of conjoined twins has always allured me. As an image it is both repelling and fascinating. What makes this image more appealing is that it is a real phenomenon that occurs rarely. The doppelgänger is rooted in the supernatural and focuses on the ‘otherness’ of a duplicate ‘you.’  Seeing your doppelgänger within your periphery is considered a sign of death, but I see it as a symbol of self- knowledge, a sign of facing yourself.

What is your favorite fairytale?
Miss Schnabel: I’ve been an avid reader since childhood of fairy tales and mythology and I feel their influence has unconsciously influenced all aspects of my work. However, if I had to choose one that I’m particularly drawn to it would be the myth of Persephone. As a young woman she was stolen by Hades, God of the Underworld, to become his bride. Her mother, Demeter, Goddess of the Earth, mourned for her so deeply that the weather began to change and thus Autumn and Fall were born. A bargain was struck between her and Hades and Persephone was allowed to return to the surface every Spring and Summer, marking the warmer, brighter seasons. I’ve always been interested in tales that explain tangible phenomena and I always wonder what she does down there half the year in the land of shadows and death. I like the complexity of her being a character that is capable of living in both light and darkness.

Do you design collections or individual pieces, & why?
Miss Schnabel: I design collections within specific themes or philosophies. These are ongoing and aren’t marked by seasons. I like to be able to explore my obsessions without time constraints, although I feel my work is ever evolving along these threads. A few of the threads I work around are Ritual, Surrealism and Victorian mourning, which are imbued with the supernatural and convulsive beauty. I like to think that all of the pieces serve as spiritual / psychic armor, meant to bring the wearer luck and protection.

Who is your favorite artist?
Miss Schnabel: I have so many! Favorites since childhood: painters Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali and poet Anne Sexton. Newer favorites: painter Jennybird Alcantara and writers Danielle Vogel, Brian Evenson, and Stacey Levine. Books and visual art equally inspire me. I’ve always had an obsession for poetic language and strange worlds only encountered by way of books.

What is the piece you’re most proud of?
Miss Schnabel: It’s hard to say, I wear all of my work! Some of the pieces I’m most excited about haven’t even come to full fruition yet!  But, the Ouija planchette is the only piece that was carved by hand. I’m learning the skills of wax carving and will have more hand carved work available in the future.

What jewelery do you wear every day?
Miss Schnabel: I always wear a mix of Bloodmilk with pieces from my talented friends lines: Rabid Fox & Adelina Mictlan. I like to mix it up depending on my mood or aesthetic reference point, which these days have centered on Lydia Deetz from Bettlejuice. However, I’m never without my diamond horse show wedding ring, which is an homage to the movie ‘True Romance.’

What is something about you most people don’t know?
Miss Schnabel: Despite the bold jewelry I wear or my ever- present white cowboy boots, I’m incredibly shy in person. I’m a wallflower. It’s such a strange contradiction!  Also, I’m a compulsive collector. Every nook  of my home and studio is filled with art, stacks of books and strange curiosities…….

Tell us about the process of making your pieces.
Miss Schnabel: I start with drawings & notes and lists.  I always have a notebook handy, I even sleep with one on my night stand because it seems like the best, most fantastical ideas come right at the moment before sleep. I never remember these flickers of the muse unless I write them down!

I think of my work as being assemblage, I’m taking antique or natural objects that already exist and reassign them new identities by molding/casting them and reassembling them in unexpected ways. This process feels like a ritual to me and oddly it sometimes becomes more of a battle with myself that with the chosen mediums. It’s important to remember to push through all the external white noise that we all face daily. It’s incredible when I conquer the more doubtful me. The fruits of these wars being jewelry that luckily other people like to wear!

What is your ultimate goal with Bloodmilk?
Miss Schnabel: My current goal is to have my work be as accessible as possible.  I’d like for it to be available in everyone’s favorite boutiques in their respective cities.  My big dream is to have my work featured in editorial spreads.  I love quirky fashion magazines and eccentric personal style.

What keeps you going?
Miss Schnabel: The support from my incredible husband, family and friends!  Without them I’d be a phantom among phantoms. I’m also a big fan of traveling and having adventures.  These days I’ve been dreaming of Hyères, which is a tiny town on the edge of the sea in the south of France.  I left an eyelash thin part of my heart there and I like to check in on its growth when I can.

What are your other passions?
Miss Schnabel: Writing and painting, which are also two things I work at seriously. I received all of my “formal” training in fiction writing and hold an M.F.A from The New School. I also have a couple of exhibitions of paintings this year. However, all of my work bears the same fantastical, surreal and slightly morbid tones. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to sleep or that I had a conjoined twin!

Words by Gala Darling with images courtesy of Bloodmilk.  Addition photos by Gala Darling