Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

Jewel of the Month: Virginia Woolf Whistle

by

December’s Jewel of the Month is my most complicated mechanical piece yet: the two-pun Virginia Woolf Whistle.  The whistle pops open to reveal a Little Woolf with tiny diamond eyes. But the mechanical marvel is that the whistle really works. Make a working whistle that opened was a huge challenge because any gap that lets in extra air interferes with the creation of sound. I promise to do a short whistling video soon. Let me catch my breath first because, as I previously said, this piece took over a year of hard work to complete.

The Virginia Woolf Whistle, closed.

The Virginia Woolf Whistle, closed.

The inside of the whistle has been blackened to make the details of the Woolf stand out.

The Virginia Woolf Whistle, open

The Virginia Woolf Whistle, open.

Another view.

Another view. All photos by SquareMoose.

This is a MAY-JAH piece. You can see how big the whistle is in this photo of me from my pop-up shop last month.

woolfdistance

I’m wearing the Woolf Whistle.

What pictures can’t convey is the heft of this necklace. I love asking people to hold out their hands so I can see their shock after I drop the whistle into their palms. The pendant weighs a whopping 1.4 troy ounces of 18K gold. As a bonus, it’s covered with 112 diamonds, totaling 1.13 carats.

Like my previous Jewel of the Month — the Hen in the Egg — the Virginia Woolf Whistle is most appropriate for people who are passionate and knowledgeable about craftsmanship and are collectors of original art, antiquities and historical artifacts, couture clothing and/or other rarities. I’ve only made one so far. I envision making three, maybe: one for a very discerning customer, one for me and one for a museum. The price is available upon request. Serious inquiries only, please. If there’s anything on my website that exceeds your budget, be warned that this surpasses the rest. Virginia Woolf famously said, “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” Well, you don’t need a room of your own to have the Virginia Woolf Whistle, but you do need the money.

Don’t worry, Team Jacob Twihards! I have lupine jewelry at all price levels. Stay tuned for a buy-it-now post about those.

You might also like
My New Design Speaks for Itself
Wendy Brandes Jewelry in the New York Times
Three Textures, New Ring

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Oh, WendyB, I totally want it! Ever since I watched Titanic and Rose shoved that whistle to her lips and whistled for rescue, I’ve thought, “Damn, I gotta get me a whistle!” And looking at that Virginia Woolf Whistle, with all its lovingly crafted detail (plus the diamonds!), I think I’ve found the whistle of my dreams. But I don’t have the tons of money YET. Someday, WendyB. Soon!

  3. I remember that dress!!! I have a pic of it I think from the Francis Showroom – love it.

    PS – when is the 50 cent version coming out? Grammy bling!

    • You’re right about the dress, MG! I just came across that picture again the other day. My dress lived in the studio for quite some time, inspiring everyone with its color.

      And you KNOW I want to do the bigger, better, blingier whistle for Fitty. Forget the Woolf! I’ll just cover it with diamonds inside and out for him!

  7. Oh Wendy it is truly lovely – you know how I treasure my Little Woolf. After all it helped me write 15,500 words! I so wish I was the discerning customer. I’m on my knees praying in a materialistic way1

  12. wowowowowow! i love heavy pieces of jewelry. my current favorite everyday piece is an antique victorian locket that’s quite a hefty weight. sad that so much contemporary jewelry leaves so much to be desired in substance and crafstmanship.

    hmm…my birthday is coming up, maybe i’ll hint to the bf about some of my favorite wb pieces 🙂

  16. I’ve been lucky enough to see this exquisite and intricate piece up close and personal. Gorgeous.

  17. Good gravy, what a GORGEOUS piece. And I can’t even imagine the engineering involved in getting it to function as a whistle. It’s totally amazing, Wendy. And the Museum of Sal would be delighted to display that third whistle whenever it’s ready.

  18. You are so damn clever! My favorite pieces of yours are the punny ones – and I WILL own some of your jewelry one day. Anyhoo… this one got me to thinking – Now that you have a whistle that can be used for personal safety you could make a companion piece that’s a mace (like in Parliment) that has a little pepper spray thingy in it. Just a thought.

  19. Wendy I am blown away by this (oh, no pun intended!!) The craftsmanship in this – the beauty of it. What an amazing piece. You should be so proud of it!

  22. This is one of my favorites. It is like a bejeweled double entendre and perfect for those of us who can’t whistle to save our lives and who love a literary reference and a wolf who looks like their dog. It is also great for those who can whistle, who have never read Virginia and who just have really good taste. This is me trying to say I love this piece.

  23. Miss J cannot express how much she fucking LOVES Wendy B’s mechanical fucking pieces. Clever, cheeky and fucking fantastically beautiful.

    All this fucking swearing reminds Miss J she must go fucking vote for Miss Wendy to win the fucking Drysdale…

  28. Whoa, that is an incredible work! Say, don’t whistles usually have a ball that makes the ‘whistle-y’ sound? Do you have a little ball of gold that fits in there?

  29. I really like this necklace and I think it’s one of my favorite pieces of yours. I have a big thing for whistles (since I can’t whistle on my own), and this one is just beautiful.

  33. Yup, pretty sure it’s out of the old budget…but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate its beauty. And that dress…I LOVE IT!

  34. holy moley. i thought i had to had to had to have the clown sweater below, but now I only want it if i can wear this over it! secret treasures are the most fun ever!

  35. Ingenious! That is awesome! I had whistles on the brain today too! My friend bought me a Frida Kahlo cookbook and I just reading this part:
    “What she loved most, though, were the whistles. They came in various sizes and made different sounds. She used them to call for Chucho, Eulalia, and Ines, and she created quite a stir when she did. On that Christmas Eve she stuck a few whistles in her purse and blew on them vigorously the whole time we wandered around.”

  41. Wendy, when I am a woman of independent means, I am going to commission you to make me the biggest bigass jewelry ever!

    You look adorable in that green dress, by the way.

    But I actually popped in to say “Happy Birthday” to my favourite Wendy person – I don’t know when it is, but I know it’s this month. 🙂 You’re the best! Cheers,
    Sheila

  43. HOly @#$! What an incredible piece of craftsmanship, I am floored. I would love to see this beauty in person, can’t imagine the work it took to figure out how to construct this AND make it function too. You are a genius.
    xx
    Tiffany

  47. Wendy this is beautiful! Dreams of the hen in the egg were keeping me awake at night and then you show me this: maybe if I ignored ol’ Virginia and did without the room and the money I could write my fiction in peace with this hanging weightily round my neck instead!