Rat King Earrings

Whether you have a penchant for nature's peculiarities or an eye for odd jewelry, our Rat King Earrings deliver for your unconventional style. A fascinating natural phenomenon inspired these earrings. A rat king found in nature (yes, it's a real thing!!) is a rare phenomenon where multiple rats become entangled by their tails, forming a tight knot or cluster. This occurrence is incredibly unusual. It's believed to happen when rats nest closely together in cramped spaces, leading to their tails becoming entwined due to various factors like sticky substances, such as sap or glue, or even simply due to the rats' movements and behaviors. I see this anomaly of an occurrence as raw and untamed beauty. The inherent sadness of the rat king's predicament adds a haunting allure to the earrings, reminding me of the beauty found amid struggle and pain.  Materials: Silver Tone: White brass charm on sterling silver earwires Gold Tone: Brass charm on  14K gold plated, sterling silver earwires Sterling Silver: All parts are solid sterling silver Dimensions: The diameter of the charm is just under 1 1/4 inches or a touch less in some parts as it isn't a perfect circle The base metals I use (Silver Tone and Gold Tone) are both 100% brass. White brass is a metallic alloy that is made of copper and zinc. There is no nickel in any of my jewelry. For more information on the metals I use, please see the FAQ's. All my jewelry is hand made by me, Karen Yost, in my NYC studio at the time of purchase. Please allow up to 2 weeks for the production of your order and an additional 2-3 days for shipping if you are located in the U.S. If you need your jewelry quickly, take a look at my Ready to Ship Collection. These pieces are in stock and will ship immediately.  Your jewelry will arrive gift wrapped in the packaging listed in the photos. Feel free to request a particular box you have your eye on at checkout. Thanks for taking a look at my jewels! Please note- production times are longer during November, December, and January. I will have a note on my homepage specifying order date deadlines for different holiday arrivals. Please contact me if you need your jewelry by a specific date.