Pirate accessories?

[sapphireandsage]

As an accessories merchant, I've been getting more and more requests lately for pirate jewelry.  I generally tend to work from portraits of Tudor-Era royalty and their courtiers, not so much in the pirate realm.

What kinds of things should I start thinking of offering to cater to my Pirate clientele, both in jewelry and feather accessories (I do offer some hat pins now)? 

Is there something in particular, other than using cameos with skulls and crossbones on them, that I can do that will make a piece of women's jewelry be more suitable for a pirate than a lady at court?  Are there certain articles of jewelry and/or colors that you're more drawn to?

What kinds of accessories do you male pirates wear?

Thanks in advance for you assistance in getting me headed in the right direction! 

[FortuneRose]

hmmm... 

Perhaps a necklace or some such with swords?  Or even coins?

is that tacky?  lol

ETA:  I was just looking up some things and also came across some more ideas...  things like the ships wheel sized down for a necklace charm, an anchor, a small treasure chest charm, a ship miniature

[Blue66669]

Those are all so nautical though...

I personally like to wear darker jewelry... deep reds, blues, with black chains. Lots of pewter. I think the jewelry itself needs to have an air of "sinister" to it. Something, delightfully dangerous. *like me *

[sapphireandsage]

Thanks so much, ladies!  Love the ideas so far!!!

Come to think of, it I do have some dagger pendant charms and think I have seen swords as well.  What about pistols?  Would that be of interest to a pirate as the theme for a set of jewelry items?

I figured reds and blacks would be a big hit....how about dark emerald greens or dark purples?  For metals, would silver be favored moreso than gold?

[LadyShadow]

I think dark purples and greens would work great.

[Auryn]

ohhh accessories

personally, I stay away from the typical jolly roger themed jewelry, seems kinda cheesy, but thats just me. My pirate character is more of a wannabe noble with an elevated sense of self. Think of a mix between Vizzini from princess bride and Captain Hook.
I like all the dark purples, red, emeralds etc.

pistols and coins would be great.

[Blue66669]

I happen to like that aged silver look. And bronze.... if you could get an antiqued gold, that would be awesome. You know, that "just scraped off the bottom of the ocean" look LOL.

[Lady Amy of York]

  I like  the aged  silver and  bronze, or  something in antique gold.
   
  Typical  pirate  symbols  are :
                    -skull and  cross bones
                     - a pirate ship
                      - a   eyepatch
                       - a  dagger
                       -   a  hook
                       -a  treasure  chest
                       -  a treasure  map
                       - a  keg of  rum

    Pirates  , especially some  well known  pirate  captains    like  to adorn  themselves    with  rings, earrings  and  necklaces.      It  was   a way of  expressing  their  wealth and  satus.  just like    celeberties  today    show off their   bling.

You could  use  different gemstones  to work  with too.  Pirates    were not just into gold  coins  , they were  fond  of  different gems   also.

When i  protray  my pirate  captain  character  at  faire  i  wear  gold  earrings ,  i have  a gold     coin necklace , and  several  rings  on.

[LadyElizabeth]

I agree, chunky antiquie gold necklaces would rock.  I'm not into the wheels and skulls stuff.  i also portray a wealthy pirate, so i wear pearls alot, but i think a chunky type necklace would be cool... maybe even something with spikes or daggers or something...

[Var Greyshadow]

I think poison rings are cool.  My pirate twin has two.  She's also got a Victorian-ish necklace with a skull and crossbones and a coin necklace.  And of course, a few strands of hair beads.

[renren]

I think poison rings are cool.  My pirate twin has two.  She's also got a Victorian-ish necklace with a skull and crossbones and a coin necklace.  And of course, a few strands of hair beads.

Oh, yeah,I like those poison rings!

I think,because pirates love to show off their wealth,something over the top,very big bling on it!

[sapphireandsage]

Poison rings...I'll definitely look into seeing if I can get the materials to make those.  I do have larger rings available that have 25x18mm glass oval and rectangular stones on them, but I like the idea of adding a poison compartment underneath.

How do the hair beads attach exactly, Var?  I have tons of larger glass beads that I could use for something like that.

[Lord Figaro]

I also wear a mariners cross. Yes it is nautical, but, pirates, nautical they kinda go together. But the list Lady Amy of York put up is kind of a pirate list of needs must haves. Most would look at my cross and go "WHAT'S THAT??" Hell I had a chief in the Navy tell me I had to take of my jewelry till I got back in his face and explained what it was. Then I told him to go to hell.

[Queen_of_Navarre]

Cameos with Mermaids! I talked to several ladies at Pyrate con who mentioned loving my mermaids, so... sounds like a perfect thing for jewelry for pirates.

[GirlChris]

Something you might want to try is selling earrings individually. When I think of pirates, I think of having just ONE earring, either a hoop or a single stone on a hook. That was your insurance to pay for your burial.

As for jewels, something faceted that catches the light (gotta love the sparklies!) or pearls (keeping with the nautical theme) would be my preference. And the metals would definitely be gold, not silver.

Just as an item of jewelery you might want to look at- what about belt buckles? A lot of pirates I know wear multiple belts and baldrics for carrying all their weapons and other gear, so why not dress them up a bit?

edit: ooh! And what about a compass rose as a charm?