The maker is there in every Virginia Duncan Moseley design. Her heightened interest in the natural world, especially that of Avery Island, La., her home, fired her imagination and inspired her bold sculptural and evocative pieces made of shed alligator teeth. Her collection for women and men merge from the warm colors of nature and polished sterling silver.
Moseley is a direct descendant of Judge Daniel Dudley Avery. Her great aunt’s home on Avery Island was the scene of many fond memories, especially vivid among those was sitting in the picture window of that house and watching an alligator cross the pond down below. “Once at a family gathering on Avery Island, one of my older cousins was wearing a necklace made with alligator teeth. It was so original. Making these pieces satisfies my curiosity about the natural world, especially alligators seen everywhere on the island. In fact, a game warden on the island was my contact for the first set of teeth.”
Listed on The National Register of Historic Places in 2018, history is important on Avery Island. It has been a wildlife sanctuary for generations. Clover was planted for the resident species of whitetail deer. Edmund McIlhenny, the founder of McIlhenny Company on the island, helped save the beloved, showy snowy egret from extinction in 1895 with the establishment of Bird City. McIlhenny most notably became known for creating one of the most famous condiments in the world, Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce.
Into this sanctuary of natural beauty comes alligators. Moseley’s discerning eye first saw potential in the sculptural, evocative shape of the alligator’s teeth. “In the eighth grade, I didn’t read Seventeen, I read Vogue. That approach to fashion and design took me into another world. It was inspiring, it was a world that was exhilarating to me.”
Moseley’s design process was significantly influenced by the legendary Italian designer, Elsa Peretti. Peretti was attracted to powerful, sculptural shapes naturally occurring in nature. Her instinct for style paved the way to becoming a muse to Halston, and when she began an affiliation with Tiffany’s in 1974, her career was catapulted into the upper echelons of Manhattan cultural influencers. “Like Elsa Peretti,” Moseley said. “I didn’t have formal training but had a curiosity, a respect for nature, for animals and their natural habitat. I received an Elsa Peretti open-heart belt buckle. It was such a simple but powerful design, a perfect balance of material and form.”
Moseley, like Peretti, was interested in the sensual impact of bones. For Peretti, human bones were the inspiration for one of her most iconic designs, the bone cuff. That cuff was also in Virginia’s collection of favored jewelry. Moseley’s discriminating eye was drawn to the bone structure, the vertebrae of the alligator’s spine. She designed and created a ring from that material. “This piece captures a natural balance between material, surface and form. And it doesn’t hurt that it is intriguing, a little bit dangerous given the response that people usually have when they come in close contact with alligators.”
New Orleanian Michael Harold, first intrigued by Moseley’s designs at a trunk show, owns a collection of alligator teeth cufflinks and studs. “I thought, what an incredible way to not only have something unique that no one else has but that is representative of the state of Louisiana,” he said. “The cufflinks and studs are a conversation piece.”
Moseley has created her own version of Peretti’s iconic bone cuff, a bracelet of shark skin with a primary alligator tooth as part of the clasp. “Elsa’s fundamental design animated me and challenged me. This was a piece that I wanted to produce multiple times, and I wanted purchased by women as an important part of their wardrobe.”
Virginia C. Miller of New Orleans, like Moseley, is part of the Avery family — her great-grandmother was Kate Richardson Avery — and owns many diverse pieces of Moseley’s designs. “This is not ivory. You’re not trading in illicit materials and cruelty and all of that. As an alligator grows, they shed their teeth. And they’re hollow. So they’re light, and that’s important from a jewelry perspective because someone is going to look at that — the earrings — and think that’s going to be really heavy and it’s going to pull on my ear. Not so.” As a matter of fact, an alligator’s teeth naturally regenerate a lost tooth up to 50 times, and an alligator can go through 2,000-3,000 teeth in a lifetime.
Moseley also has created an alligator tooth cheese spreader and wine stopper. Her jewelry collection includes pendants, multi-tooth necklaces, cuffs, bracelets, rings, earrings, belt buckles, studs and cufflinks. She plans several new designs for the near future. “I always knew what I wanted to do, follow my heart and reflect on who I was aside from being a wife and mother. I don’t want to repeat myself. Inspiration can come from anywhere every day. I hope this jewelry reflects that. It keeps my spirit alive, learning and growing.”
For private inquiries, contact Virginia Moseley at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..