Geek Chic Jewelry: Part 3 - Superheroes

Superheroes never go out of style. This is an exciting opportunity for jewelry artists to showcase their creativity and talent. Some superheroes already sport jewelry—a ring, amulet, bracelets—and others can spark super ideas. However, since most of these superheroes are protected by copyright and trademark, we can't encourage you to use their images as part of your jewelry business.

You can craft superhero-inspired jewelry creatively and avoid concerns about trademark infringement through a few distinct methods.

Create Your Own Hero

The first way to soar into this trend is to get creative and invent your own superhero, crafting jewelry tailored to that character. You have no limits when creating your superhero—choose any name, power, origin or personality you desire. Most modern superheroes were born from someone’s fantasy. (For example, Superman was the brainchild of two high school boys in the 1930s.)

When creating a new character, consider:

• Superpowers and abilities
• Back story to explain where the powers came from
• Devices, weapons and power-supporting jewelry
• Alter ego
• Costume
• Mode of transportation

Consider generating a visual representation of your superhero's costume, color scheme and other details by either crafting it yourself or commissioning another artist. This rendering can serve as an excellent point-of-sale display, complementing the jewelry you've designed for your superhero.

There is another way to craft your superhero: reverse engineering. Begin with a piece of jewelry or a component that evokes a character and work backwards, creating the character based on that piece. A cabochon with captivating colors or a freeform focal component could inspire a wonderful story.

What would the character do?

Another approach to crafting superhero-inspired jewelry involves envisioning the kind of jewelry that popular heroes (or villains!) might wear. For instance, Batman's sophisticated alter ego, Bruce Wayne, could sport elegant cuff links or a refined lapel pin at formal events. Deadpool might opt for a leather bracelet with red and black cord, while Poison Ivy could be envisioned with a necklace adorned in leaf-shaped beads and components. Whether or not these characters actually wear jewelry in their comics, TV shows or movies, developing designs inspired by their distinctive styles and personal preferences serves as a respectful way to pay homage without replicating trademarked works.

Finding Inspiration from a Character

You can draw inspiration from a character's costume without replicating their style directly. Incorporating color schemes, distinctive shapes or patterns and the narrative behind the character's design into your jewelry can offer a meaningful and creative translation. Recognizable color pairings like purple and green, red and gold, and black and silver are perfect for creating "inspired-by" jewelry lines and can be integrated with everyday attire without looking like a costume. Diamond shapes, circles, triangles and even bat wings can serve as symbolic elements to represent distinct heroes or villains. Backstories are excellent sources for design inspiration as well. For instance, spider charms can cleverly allude to Spiderman, and a sizable lime-green glass or gemstone bead might evoke the essence of Superman's kryptonite.

No matter how you choose to emulate superheroes in your designs, the pieces you create are bound to be action-packed, mysterious and full of fun.