In the 1988 film Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton memorably played the title character with an extreme personality and outrageous behavior. But fans as well as jeweler Fabergé agree that Beetlejuice also has a certain je ne say quoi when it comes to style.
To celebrate the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sequel, out Sept. 6, creative minds from Fabergé and filmmaker Tim Burton’s team came together to develop a fine jewelry collection. The Fabergé x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice line features 18k white gold earrings, pendants, rings, lapel pins, and collar bars—all inspired by the spiral shape, a regular motif in Burton’s movies, seen in Beetlejuice with the “headworm” and the Sandworm character.
Fabergé head of design Liisa Tallgren and creative director Josina von dem Bussche-Kessell worked with Burton and his longtime collaborator, Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood to create this special jewelry collection.
“It’s an obvious statement to make, but Tim is a true innovator and a creative genius in the way in which he tells a story, and the world he has created with Beetlejuice is a thrilling merger between gothic culture and surrealism, showcased and brought to life in an elegant way that would be neither cliché nor expected,” von dem Bussche-Kessell tells JCK.
Each piece is crafted to Fabergé standards, with exquisite handwork, she says. Most of the Fabergé x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice jewels feature responsibly mined Gemfields emeralds (from Kagem Mining in Zambia) or rubies (from Mozambique’s Montepuez mine) in round, oval, or pear shape. The emeralds represent the green glow of the Afterlife, and the rubies recall the red wedding dress and suit from Beetlejuice’s dream sequence.
Earrings, pendants, and rings also have round brilliant-cut white diamonds. Many pieces in the collection are painted with black, red, or green UV enamel, a technique Fabergé is well known for. As a result, the Fabergé x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice fine jewelry collection is a wild visual feast, just like the movies that inspired it.
Tallgren says her design work on this project came from the iconic scene in the first film where Beetlejuice appears as an otherworldly creature with a carousel head and spiral arms that unwind to reveal mallets for hands. A black-and-white color scheme—as in Beetlejuice’s striped suit—is found throughout the Fabergé collection.
“Working with both Tim Burton and Colleen Atwood was a dream come true, and I really enjoyed the whole process. Our teams both share the same care and attention to creativity and a fearless commitment to challenging the status quo, so it was the perfect marriage of both our world and Tim’s,” von dem Bussche-Kessell says. “I truly enjoyed the opportunity of defining a design directive which was quintessentially Beetlejuice but also represented the legendary Fabergé style.
“I feel that uniting these elements has created something truly magical. What I love the most is that we’ve been able to bring two unrelated creative universes together, and in the overlap between them, there are such wonderful synergies,” she says.
The collection also has a sense of humor to it, which isn’t necessarily something that artistic jeweler Fabergé typically gets credit for. You spot in with one look at a collar bar with the headworm’s creepy face—a fun piece to wear to a Halloween party or for going to see the movie, or just for shock value.
“I think we’re known for doing things a little differently in the industry, and it is my mission to continue Fabergé’s creative legacy with the necessary surprises and unexpected fusion, such as showcased by this collection,” von dem Bussche-Kessell says. “The pieces could in fact all exist as stand-alone pieces with or without the association to the unique world of Beetlejuice, but of course it’s so much more fun and exciting when appreciated in context of the iconic films.”
In a statement, Burton said: “This collaboration with Fabergé is a very exciting opportunity to merge the world of Beetlejuice with the legendary jewelry house—I am very honored.”
Top: Fabergé x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice white gold, diamond, and black enamel Spiral Bombe ring ($20,600) is set with an oval-shape responsibly mined Mozambican ruby. (Photos courtesy of Fabergé)
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