Darkest Candy Designs

Darkest Candy Designs creates unique jewelry, wearable oddities, and curios for the darkly inclined. With a heavy Goth influence, our work features dark and decadent hand-sewn Velvet, PVC, ethically sourced animal bones, preserved insects, and more. Owned by the wife-wife team of Arhythmia Hart & Trixie Hart. Visit our Etsy shop here!

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Now announcing Darkest Candy Designs subscription boxes! We have six new surprise boxes to choose from, all featuring out handmade jewelry;

- Darkling Bat Box - Moon Child Box - Space Invader Box - Bone Collector Box - Surprise Choker Box - Surprise Earring Box

These are available through our Etsy, or via our brand new Patreon page!

Go check them out: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DarkestCandyDesigns… https://www.patreon.com/darkestcandy

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"Contemplating Death & Religion" Artist: Trixie Hart

This fully functional wall lamp is made with a real whitetail deer skull, with a red LED bulb for ambient lighting (though any color can be used).

This piece will be debuting at "BOT Presents Fright Gallery 2" on June 30th in Austin Texas and will be available for purchase on that date, so be sure to come out and see us if you are in the Austin area! Not only will we (Darkest Candy Designs) be there vending, but many amazing talented artists will be exhibiting their work as well.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1900671476692524/

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We’ve got real bone and teeth heart cameos listed now, just on time for that last minute valentines day gift! This one is made with Squirrel Claw & Toe Bones. We have several others with Squirrel bones, as well as one made with Raccoon Teeth. We also have a sale right now that gets you 10% off when you buy $30, or 15% off when you buy $50. This sale runs through Valentines day! https://www.etsy.com/shop/DarkestCandyDesigns Order standard shipping (USA Domestic) through Thursday to ensure Valentines delivery. If you order Friday or later, please upgrade to Priority shipping to ensure delivery by the 14th! All of our bones are ethically sourced and cruelty free. Most of these bones are roadkill or killed by predators. We NEVER source our bones from hunters or fur farms.

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Still trying to decide what to do with these three! Wild boar, found in the woods. Probably a controlled kill by the forestry service, as far as I can tell; they were nothing but bones when we found them. All of our bones are ethically sourced and cruelty free. Most of these bones are roadkill or killed by predators. We NEVER source our bones from hunters or fur farms. These three haven’t been made into finished pieces yet, but we have plenty of our wearable bone art and jewelry available in our Etsy shop. If you would like to support a pair of lesbian starving artists, visit our shop! ;) https://www.etsy.com/shop/DarkestCandyDesigns

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New things we’ve been working on for V-Day. The top left is made with Raccoon Teeth, the other three are Squirrel Claws, Ribs, and Toes. https://www.etsy.com/shop/DarkestCandyDesigns

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Through Valentines Day, get 10% when you buy $30, -OR- get 15% off when you buy $50! This sale is shop wide, so no items are excluded. Now is the perfect time to get that piece you've been eyeing ;) Shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DarkestCandyDesigns

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This bone haul is finally clean and dry - I’m so excited to start working with these! <3

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So I’ve been asking by @theoddlittlenomad​ to talk about cleaning methods I use for bones, so here it is! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ While there are multiple methods, I use the gentlest options available because I want them to maintain their strength. Even if a bone that you picked up LOOKS clean, it still needs to go through degreasing and sanitizing. It is amazing how much fat and such you can remove from a bone that was “nature cleaned”. Never let anyone tell you that a “nature cleaned” bone is clean enough. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If I start with bones like these that were found without any flesh, then I start with degreasing. I put them in a container with dish soap and water, lots of soap. Let that sit, but change the water every few days or so, until it stops looking cloudy. It should be fairly apparent when the bones are degreased. Once this is done, rinse all the soap off and place them in a different container that has a little room over the top of the bone. Pour in hydrogen peroxide 3% - it is the same stuff that you buy at a grocery store for antiseptic or teeth whitening. It is very gentle to use. Make sure the bones are fully covered. Let this sit. For a bone that I cleaned from a whole animal, I find one day to be enough. For bones found in the woods like these, I prefer to leave them 2-3 days. They will always be stained, so do not expect them to be perfectly white after sitting in nature. Some people like the charm of the stain though, they feel it has more character. If you find during a rinse that any flesh was attached that you didn't notice, the water should have softened it up enough to remove it by hand. Certain predator damage tends to leave some skin or soft tissue to dry on the bone. I always return it to the hydrogen peroxide for 1/2 to 1 full day after I remove any tissues, to further sanitize. After the hydrogen peroxide step is done, I remove the bones and pour the peroxide back in the bottle. You can reuse it several times for the same purpose, so long as it foams up effectively it is still working. Rinse the bones thoroughly with water, then lay them out on some paper towels to dry. I also do a few extra steps - clean out the inside of jawbones with a pipecleaner, remove any debris from the teeth with a dental tool once it is dry, ect. What extra steps you must do depend on the bone. Make sure it is fully dry before use, and it should be well. If there is any unpleasant smell remaining, return it to the hydrogen peroxide for more time and repeat the last steps. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now if you are picking up an animal or bones with flesh still attached, that is a whole different start to cleaning. I use maceration. Disposable gloves are very important here - use them at all times to avoid contamination. Also be sure to wash well after doing anything with your macerating specimens. Place it in a bucket, fill it with water, and place a lid with a hole drilled in the center on top. I also place a couple of bricks on top (be sure not to cover the ventilation hole), so prevent vultures or other animals from stealing my corpses! I do this outside, in a far corner of my yard because it does smell. This is promoting natural rot, as well as letting bacteria and insects eat away the flesh. Change the water every few days. Be sure you have a place to dump it that is out of the way. If you are too close to neighbors, then you might consider digging a hole to pour the water in, and then covering it with loose dirt to help contain the smell. I don't dig a hole, but I have a fairly large area where proximity to others is not too much of a concern. After you dump it, refill the water, replace the lid, and let it sit for another few days. Keep changing it until it looks clean. This will go relatively quickly in warm weather, but if it is cold it can take months. I must warn you, this isn't a method for the faint of heart. It is truly disgusting at times, particularly when there are insects. I use it because it is very gentle on the bones, and I do not have room for a dermestid beetle tank inside my small indoor space. There are other methods to clean a full corpse, but I have not used them. I find maceration is perfect where I live, in Texas. The process is very quick in the summers here, so I've had no need to learn any other way. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hope this helps! If you have any further questions or want me to elaborate on anything, let me know!

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See this piece in our Etsy shop here; https://www.etsy.com/listing/573543791/squirrel-jawbone-teeth-cameo-on-black This cameo features the lower mandible (jawbone), incisor, and molar of a squirrel. All of our bones are ethically sourced and cruelty free. Most of these bones are roadkill or killed by predators. We NEVER source our bones from hunters or fur farms.

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See this piece in our Etsy shop here; https://www.etsy.com/listing/572476037/carved-whitetail-deer-scapula-bone This necklace is made with the scapula of a whitetail deer, carved with bats and a night scene. All of our bones are ethically sourced and cruelty free. Most of these bones are roadkill or killed by predators. We NEVER source our bones from hunters or fur farms.

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These snake vertebrae earrings were made with a Texas Rat Snake. He was nearly six feet long, but his bones are still so tiny! ^_^ We have these available in our Etsy shop here; https://www.etsy.com/listing/572524009/snake-vertabrae-earrings-real-bone All of our bones are ethically sourced and cruelty free. Most of these bones are roadkill or killed by predators. We NEVER source our bones from hunters or fur farms.

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This bone haul is finally clean and dry - I’m so excited to start working with these! <3

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See the piece in our Etsy shop here; https://www.etsy.com/listing/572966342/whitetail-deer-chestpiece-w-bats-moon This one of a kind chestpiece features real vertebrae & rib from a whitetail deer. Along the vertebrae are bat, moon, and pentacle charms. This fastens at the neck with a 1" inch wide black velvet choker with a purple quartz point charm, and at the waist with a 1" inch wide velvet strap. This piece is highly adjustable; this will fit 28-40 inches measured around the bottom of your rib-cage, and a 12.5-15 inch neck. Additional extension chain or a smaller choker/strap is available upon request; we are happy to make a custom fit. The design will accommodate an ample chest, as the included photos illustrate. All of our bones are ethically sourced and cruelty free. Most of these bones are roadkill or killed by predators. We NEVER source our bones from hunters or fur farms.

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These earrings feature wirework and real raccoon teeth. They are listed on our Etsy here; https://www.etsy.com/listing/586766047/raccoon-tooth-earrings-real-bone-nickel All of our bones are ethically sourced and cruelty free. Most of these bones are roadkill or killed by predators. We NEVER source our bones from hunters or fur farms.

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So a few days ago, my wife & I decided to start working with the Ulna bones we have collected over time. We had not been very inspired by them until now, so we took full advantage of the creativity while it lasted! Here is the result. The animals in order of appearance; Bobcat, Opossum, Bobcat, Raccoon, Bobcat All of these are now available in our Etsy shop. We make all of our items by hand, and we clean all the bones ourselves. If you would like to own a lovely piece of jewelry as well as support starving artists like ourselves, then you should check out our shop!  https://www.etsy.com/shop/DarkestCandyDesigns?section_id=23156758 All of our bones are ethically sourced and cruelty free. Most of these bones are roadkill or killed by predators. We NEVER source our bones from hunters or fur farms.

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This cameo is made with a real wild boar’s tooth. Buy it here; https://www.etsy.com/listing/551439944/boar-tooth-cameo-necklace-w-black-velvet All of our bones are ethically sourced and cruelty free. Most of these bones are roadkill or killed by predators. We NEVER source our bones from hunters or fur farms.

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Our first ring, made with an Opossum Sacral (tail) vertebrae. https://www.etsy.com/listing/536013683/opossum-vertebrae-wire-ring-real-bone All of our bones are ethically sourced and cruelty free. Most of these bones are roadkill or killed by predators. We NEVER source our bones from hunters or fur farms.

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Due to the popularity of out last post about our Bone Earrings, we’ve decided to show you our newest setup! We just finished restocking this rack. Some of these are available on our Etsy now, and the rest should be listed in the upcoming few days! https://www.etsy.com/shop/DarkestCandyDesigns?section_id=23156758 All of our bones are ethically sourced and cruelty free. Most of these bones are roadkill or killed by predators. We NEVER source our bones from hunters or fur farms.