Metalbug is a collection of jewelry and housewares, often containing real specimens or fossils. These insects were humanely collected mostly in and around Tucson. Occasionally, I also collect specimens when I travel. A few years ago during one of the cicada explosions, I found hundreds of dead cicadas on the forest floor in Virginia. While birds happily gorge themselves on cicadas, the wings are not palatable because they are tough and low in nutrients. So, I gathered their wings for use in jewelry, leaving their bodies to nourish the forest.

Many of these pieces are available for sale at Metalbug.