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Live insect jewelry

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A stone encrusted beetle
A Mexican El maquech
Three bejeweled living brooch pins on a jewelry cloth
Zopheridae examples of jewelry taken at the Texas A&M University Insect Collection in College Station, Texas

Live insect jewelry or living brooch, refers to jewelry made from living creatures—usually a bejeweled oversized insect—that is worn as a fashion accessory. The use of insects as live jewelry has existed for many centuries, with the Egyptians believed to have been the first to have worn insects as jewelry. In Mexico, a maquech brooch made from a living beetle of the genus Zopherus (one of the three genera of ironclad beetle), are decorated with paste gemstones, bric-à-brac, and imitation gold, and are tethered to a woman's blouse by a delicate chain.

Use through the ages

Ancient Egyptian soldiers commonly wore scarab beetles into battle as the beetles were considered to have supernatural powers of protection against enemies.[1][2] Live jewelry has also featured in Mayan cultural traditions for many centuries,[3] Such brooches have traditionally been made in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico as objects of personal adornment.[4] Today, a live bejeweled Mexican maquech (also known as ma'kech, makech), can trade for as much as US $500, although importation of the beetle into the United States is outlawed.[5]

The Mexican maquech

It was not until the 1980s that the Mexican maquech, made from a subspecies of the zopherus beetle, particularly the species Zopherus chilensis, achieved mainstream popularity as live jewelry. The beetle is large, docile, and wingless. They do not move quickly, are very hardy, and are capable of living for over three years without food or water.[6] The beetles are captured or farmed, and then decorated with gold, semi-precious gemstones, and attached to a decorative safety pin by a chain leash.[7]

Marketing for the brooch claims that during the Mayan period, women from Yucatán wore maqueches pinned to their chests, over their hearts, to attract and sustain loving relationships. The tradition is attributed to a story from Mayan folklore[a] that tells of a Mayan princess who was not permitted to marry a prince whom she loved that was from a rival clan. The princess stopped eating and drinking, preferring to die than to live without her lover. In compassion for her plight, a traditional healer with magical powers transformed her into a maquech so that she could spend the rest of her life living as a beautiful brooch on the chest of her lover, close to his heart.[8]

The giant Madagascar hissing cockroach

In 2006, the giant Madagascar hissing cockroach (or Gromphadorhina portentosa) achieved high profile, short-lived popularity as live jewelry.[9] Fashion designer, Jared Gold, popularized the "roach brooch" trend with the inclusion of the giant Madagascar hissing cockroach in his 2006 collection. Gold's cockroaches were hand-decorated with Austrian Swarovski crystals, accessorized with a leash set and were sold as "ready to wear" jewelry.[10]

Following the "roach brooch" being featured on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 6, Black Chandelier, the producer of the Giant Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Brooch, announced that they were temporarily discontinuing the production of "roach brooches" due to "ethical debate" about the product.[11]

Opposition to, and support of, the practice

A number of animal rights groups have expressed concern over the use of live jewelry, stating that it is exploitative to the creatures, as they: "...have a similar capacity to feel pain as other more mainstream pets".[12] A 2006 New York Post story quoted an animal rights spokesman as describing the "roach brooch" as "...just the gift for the person who doesn't mind a small animal excreting on them throughout the day."[13] PETA spokesperson Michael McGraw was quoted as saying that the "roach brooch" product "...gives a new, sad meaning to the term 'fashion victim'. Roaches will inherit the Earth, and if it's between the desperate people who wear them and the roaches, our money's on the roaches."[14]

Proponents of live jewelry have stated that as the wearing of live jewelry is a traditional practice among Mayan groups in the Yucatán, the practice would be difficult to cease. Companies selling live jewelry have stated that with proper care (including storing the insect in a well-heated vivarium) and with adequate feeding, many insects used as live jewelry can expect to achieve—or exceed—the average two to three year life span of an insect living in a natural environment.[15]

Notes

  1. ^ The folk story may more likely be a fabrication for tourists considering a purchase.

References

  1. ^ Tom Turpin (25 January 1990). "Beetle Brooches And Diamond Dragonflies". On Six Legs. Purdue Extension. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  2. ^ Quentin Wheeler (15 January 2003). "Walking jewels: the beauty of beetles". The Natural History Museum. The Natural History Museum. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Maquech Brooches: Living Beetle Jewelry". The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  4. ^ Vincent H. Resh; Ring T. Cardé (22 July 2009). Encyclopedia of Insects. Academic Press. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-08-092090-0.
  5. ^ Debbie Hadley (25 January 2010). "Live Beetle Jewelry Seized at U.S. Border". About Insects. About.com. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  6. ^ Ross H. Arnett, JR; Michael C. Thomas; Paul E. Skelley; J. Howard Frank (19 June 2002). American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press. p. 458. ISBN 978-1-4200-4123-1.
  7. ^ "Meet the Makech, the Bedazzled Beetles Worn as Living Jewelry | At the Smithsonian | Smithsonian Magazine".
  8. ^ TheHolyEnchilada (30 June 2009). "Bejeweled scarabs, roaches, and other fantastic bugs". TheHolyEnchilada. TheHolyEnchilada. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  9. ^ Jeremy Gutsche (17 April 2006). "Giant Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Brooch". TREND HUNTER. Trendhunter.Inc. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  10. ^ Jared Gold (21 April 2006). "Fashion Trend? Bejeweled Cockroaches". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  11. ^ "Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Brooches". Black Chandelier. Black Chandelier. Retrieved 3 November 2012.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ Vera H-C Chan (28 March 2012). "Live jewelry or bling slavery?". Yahoo! Travel. Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  13. ^ "Hissing cockroach brooch roams on chain Pepper Lake City..." South Bend Tribune. South Bend Tribune. 7 May 2006. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  14. ^ Debbie Hummel (15 April 2006). "Customers Scurry to Buy Designer's 'Roach Brooch'". The Associated Press. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  15. ^ "Meet the Makech—Viva Cuernavaca".
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