Around October, I start getting an itch that only silver jewelry can scratch. While I am a classic lolita at heart, the next most common style in my wardrobe is gothic lolita. Unfortunately the brass and gold accessories that I use for classic just doesn’t work well for black and jewel tone colors of gothic fashion. So this year, to scratch that itch, I looked for something from designer Choir Chain.
Choir Chain is a gothic accessory company helmed by a Black trans designer who runs everything solo. Their work is clearly inspired by medieval and Catholic imagery, featuring chain mail necklaces burdened with cross charms, resin stained glass windows, hand cast pewter pendants of cathedrals, and more.
Ordering
I love buying my accessories in clusters so I don’t have to think about whether or not they match, so I selected the cathedral motif in a necklace and adjustable ring. I placed my order on October 18. The website has a simple Big Cartel cart system that was easy to use. The listings for my item indicated that orders had a roughly 2 week work time, not including shipping. On October 30, I received an email that my items had shipped. On November 3, my items arrived to my home in Los Angeles. Given that the items are handmade and shipped by one person, I thought this turn around time was reasonable and clearly stated on the website.
Packaging
My items were shipped in a bubble mailer. My necklace was also wrapped separately in a jewelry bag and paper, and my ring was packed in a small cardboard box with additional padding inside. Given that both were pewter, I wasn’t particularly worried about anything breaking. Obviously tough other pieces in their shop, like resin would benefit from this amount of packaging.
Cathedral Necklace and Ring
Though the designs I chose were the same motif, they are not identical. This is not surprising or a defect: they are hand made pewter items that will have variations with each pour. The edges of the pendant and ring are soft and rounded, but clearly recognizable as the shape of a cathedral. The interior of the design is worn. They feel weathered, like they’ve been touched by the hands of thousands of pious pilgrims, and then left in storage in a catacomb under a church. I’m sure that not everyone will appreciate this style, but the pictures on the website made it clear that these designs are impressionistic and worn. I was very happy with the items I received.
Choir Chain is a unique gothic accessory brand with things I’ve really never seen before. They’ve just added some new pewter pieces that I’ve definitely got my eye on. You can find their work on Instagram and on their website.
Great write-up still smiling at it.