My husband looked at one of my tiny hand carved silver mice and asked why it wasn't next to a wedge of cheese. He had a point. He usually does. Mable has feelings about this but she is being very gracious.
The Mouse
House mice are extraordinary animals that most people spend considerable energy trying not to think about, which means most people are missing out on some genuinely impressive biology. A mouse can squeeze through any gap larger than a pencil eraser, scale vertical surfaces, and navigate complex environments using whiskers so sensitive they can detect air currents. They communicate through ultrasonic frequencies humans cannot hear. They are curious, social, and have excellent memories for routes and locations. They have been living alongside humans for thousands of years and they have learned a great deal about us in that time.
They also, it turns out, do not actually prefer cheese. Studies have shown mice prefer sweet foods and will choose fruit or grain over cheese if given the option. The cheese association comes largely from cartoons and the image has stuck despite the evidence. Mable knows this and is mildly offended by the stereotype but is choosing to rise above it because the cheese looks very appealing in copper and she is not above a little cognitive dissonance.
The Piece
Mable sits on one ear and a copper cheese wedge sits on the other, mismatched in the most satisfying way possible and made specifically for each other. Mable is hand carved in careful detail, her fur texture scratched in individually, her tiny feet and tail rendered with the kind of attention that makes someone lean in for a closer look. The cheese wedge is solid copper, warm and golden toned, its characteristic holes punched through at different sizes and depths so it reads as genuinely cheesy at this tiny scale.
Both earrings are approximately the same size at .5 inches and sit on sterling silver posts and backs. They are the kind of earrings that will make you smile every single time you put them on. This is not a promise I make lightly.
Each pair is made to order just for you from sterling silver and copper, and because each one is made by hand no two pairs will ever be exactly alike. Each Mable will be her own slightly unique mouse, because that is how handmade things work and Mable would insist on it.
The Craftsmanship
- Earrings: mismatched pair, approximately the same size at 1/2"
- Mable: sterling silver, hand carved, oxidized
- Cheese: copper with holes
- Style: post studs with sterling silver posts and backs
- Edition: made to order, each pair unique
A Note from Tamara
I carve a lot of tiny silver mice and my husband has been patient about this for a long time. When he finally asked why none of them had cheese I realized he was absolutely right and I made these immediately. I named her Mable because she felt like a Mable, someone small and dignified who has been put in a slightly undignified situation and is handling it with complete composure. I hope whoever wears her feels that same energy. Mable does not need your approval. She has cheese.
Shipping
Your Mable and her cheese will be made to order just for you in my little studio in the New Hampshire woods. Please allow one to two weeks for them to be created. You will receive a tracking number by email so you can follow them on their journey to their new home.