About this project
FIRE & BONE 5: Tiny, Digitally Captured, Metal Animal Skulls
$38,042
560
THE FIFTH COLLECTION!
This is Fire & Bone's fifth collection! With the addition of these ten amazing new species we now carry more than 45 different animals!
You can see and purchase all of our previous collections here.
MINIATURE SKULLS DIRECT FROM NATURE
Fire & Bone makes tiny, true-to-life, animal skull reproductions derived from high-resolution 3D scans of original specimens, carefully miniaturized in a digital process, then cast in metal using traditional techniques. Each skull can be both worn and displayed on their optional wood collectors base.
This is our fifth Kickstarter collection and we’re adding ten new species, including several of the animals that are most frequently requested by our backers. We’re also introducing three new cufflinks, and for the first time ever, earrings!
Like us, our incredible backers are passionate naturalists, miniature collectors, and animal lovers and we hope you get as big a kick at seeing and holding these tiny new skulls as we do.
THE NEW COLLECTION
Our fifth collection contains apex predators like the Bengal Tiger, Leopard Seal, and Golden Eagle. Two mortal enemies; the Domestic Cat and American Robin. Some incredible adornments in the horns of the Texas Longhorn and tusks of the Warthog. The glittering Gila Monster. The royal Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and the prosperous Brown Rat.
HINGED JAWS!
The Bengal Tiger, Leopard Seal, Domestic Cat, and Brown Rat all have articulated lower jaws!
EARRINGS!
We’re also very excited to introduce our very first Fire & Bone Earrings! You can now adorn your lobes with the Raven, Cat, or Hummingbird and, at about 10-15mm long, they're like miniature versions of our already tiny skulls. But they still manage to retain that amazing Fire & Bone detail!
CUFFLINKS!
Plus we're happy to release three new Cufflink sets that will be joining the original Gray Wolf Cufflinks from our previous campaign. For this campaign, you can choose the Merino Ram, Great-Horned Owl, or Modern Human all with a classic "T-bar" style link.
3D SCANNING & MINIATURIZATION
Our process begins by digitally scanning real animal skulls. We work with a company that uses a proprietary 3D scanning process to digitally capture animal skulls in very high detail. We are thrilled with the level of detail we get from this method, which isn't possible with consumer-level 3D scanners.
We scale the piece down to a size suitable for collection or jewelry. Because we do this digitally and not manually, we retain an unprecedented amount of detail from the original skull.
To make the final pieces, we reproduce the miniature model in wax with a professional level high-resolution 3D printer. With our wax model we make a master mold which allows us to cast the skulls in any metal using traditional lost-wax casting. We work with a family owned foundry in the U.S. with decades of experience producing large production runs of small delicate pieces.
REWARDS
***If you'd like to pledge for multiple reward tiers, simply add up the total amount to cover each reward that you would like (but just select one reward at checkout). After the campaign, we will send you a survey where you can tell us exactly which items you would like. You will also have the opportunity to add items to your order after the campaign through BackerKit, including skulls from our previous campaigns.
MORE IMAGES!
FIRE & BONE AND KICKSTARTER
In putting together this new collection, we recognized what an amazing community Kickstarter has been for us. We get to test demand for new skulls, and we have a great platform for communicating with fans. If this campaign is successful, we will be able to keep acquiring more hard-to-get skulls for our collection and building this project together with you.
If you missed our previous campaigns, those collections are now available on our site - www.fireandbone.com. We now have over 45 species, and we're excited to continue to add more! Even though we have made some great steps since we first launched – we now sell Fire & Bone through a couple world famous science museums, which is mind-blowingly cool – we are still primarily three guys who do this as a passion. Kickstarter lets us find people who share that passion.
TESTIMONIALS
Here are a few of the nice things people have said about our tiny animal skulls:
"Absolutely love my arctic fox pendant. Really well made, not too heavy around my neck, and exactly what I hoped for. The articulated jaw is my favorite part." - Katie H.
"Gorgeous jewelry created from life, perfect in detail and look. I have 3 of them, along with the stand and chain. Highly recommend Fire & Bone." - Deborah W.
"My bear skull with the cool articulated jaw just arrived! Exquisite! One of my favorite Kickstarter projects so far." - Nancy J.
"Just got my Roe Deer and Black Bear in the mail...you guys have absolutely outdone yourselves! They exceeded all of my expectations - I cannot wait to wear such an interesting piece of jewelry. Anyone who's looking around and thinking about buying any of Fire & Bone's pieces, go for it! You will not be disappointed!" - Jennifer C.
"I received my skulls and I just wanted to say that I'm still impressed every time I look at them. The quality is commendable - for something so small, the detail is incredible. They make a wonderful talking-piece displayed on the little stands I received with them." - Jake D.
"My sabertooth cat arrived today. Completely, absolutely unequivocally love love love it & the fact it's from a real skull just makes it incredibly special! Thank you so much!" - Rebecca M.
"Have it. Love it! I wear it all the time and always get compliments on it." - Acacia S.
"If anyone here doesn't have one of these. Get one! They are amazing. Thank you so much for the Dire Wolf. I can't wait to be able to order more." - Alex K.
"These are gorgeous and unique pieces. I got my girlfriend a bear's skull from the first run and she absolutely loved it. I highly recommend this great project." - Gian D.
"Just wanted to say how amazing my jaguar skull is! Thank you!" - Emma L.
"I’ve got their lion, grey wolf, and a gemsbok from their last KickStarter. They’re beautiful pieces." - @canisdemachina
"I have the croc and the jaguar and they are both incredibly beautiful! I'm in love!" - @fancyunicornparty
THANKS!
We couldn't do this without you. Let us know what you think in the comments, and keep those skull suggestions coming!
-Jason, Chris, & Matt.
Risks and challenges
There can be production challenges associated with any manufacturing project (delays, equipment failure, theft, etc.), but we've been through this before and have a lot of confidence in our ability to fulfill this campaign in a timely fashion. We have built a strong working relationship with our foundry and are supremely confident in their ability to meet any level of demand.
Another unique challenge for us is that molds wear out over time. We have a lot of experience in jewelry design and metal casting, and we know how to plan for this. As many people have discovered, 3D scanning, design, and printing all require expertise. We are veteran users of these technologies and have worked in many high-stress situations to develop great products. Fire & Bone is not just a passion for us, it’s totally in our wheelhouse. Last, it's important to bear in mind the difficulty of getting access to more specimens for future castings - we definitely need your help to have a chance to scan more of these specimens.
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Funding period
- (35 days)