The Undesirables

South Carolina artist Katy Berman Cassell’s jewelry explores the interdependence of humans with the biological and botanical worlds. In her latest series, Undesirables, Cassell refers to fungus, fossils, wilted flowers and insects – the parts of nature that humans oftentimes find unpleasant. By transforming these “base” forms into jewelry, which are conventionally seen as enhancing adornments, her work becomes a reminder of our ephemeral existence and the beauty found in the unending cycle of life.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.