Three Vancouver-based jewellers are making a name for themselves both here and abroad with pieces fashioned from some unusual materials. The result is creepy-crawly couture, granny-meets-gangsta neck décor, and earrings for bookworms. And yes, these avant-garde artisans are used to being on the receiving end of some pretty confused looks when they tell people what kind of jewellery they make—and they wouldn't have it any other way.

"I never thought I'd end up doing this. I thought I was going to be a scientist." That's Mikel Lefler on how a love of insects led her down an unexpected career path. The former entomology student is now the creative force behind Bijoux du Monde, a line of jewellery that pays tribute to beetles, spiders, and just about any other pest she can get her hands on. And her wearable art isn't nearly as goth as it sounds.

"People usually expect something freaky," says the SFU grad, who doesn't get as many Marilyn Manson types as she thought she would. "I've had way more interest in the pretty pieces than the more gory pieces."

Among her loveliest designs are the butterfly necklaces ($140). The butterfly is cast in tinted resin, the resulting coloured block then shaped and set in silver. (The vibrant orange-and-brown-winged beauty on pale-pink background is the standout.)

Note that these creatures are definitely not endangered. But that doesn't stop some animal-rights activists from getting up in Lefler's grill about sacrificing bugs for fashion.

"I understand if they're vegan and that kind of thing," she says. "But without fail, it's always someone wearing leather that brings it up. It kills me."

Available at several locations including Dream Apparel & Articles for People (311 West Cordova Street), and Object Design Wearable Art Gallery (4–1551 Johnston Street, Granville Island).

Without the aid of visuals, it's hard to convince the average person that gangsta-style, knitted chain neck­laces are the way to go this season.

"They just don't get it, because it is a 'seeing it' kind of thing," admits Amanda Greenwood, whose work just made waves at London's 2007 fall fashion week. "But I can't wear mine out without getting five compliments on it a day."

Last season, she rocked the red-coral and animal-bone charms, but this spring she's working mirrored and black-acrylic ornaments, including cat-skull silhouettes, crosses, and feathers ($60 for a set of four). As for the 100-percent-wool chain necklaces ($95), you have your choice of black, natural, teal, or slate.

But her innovative designs—which have caught the eye of Sarah McLachlan, Diana Krall, and Emily Haines of Metric—don't stop there. Her latest venture is African-porcupine necklaces. She files down black, brown, and ivory-coloured quills and dangles them from gold-plated chains ($80 for half; $120 for a full nine-inch needle).

There seems to be no end to the demand for this current line. "Each time I think 'Oh, I'm kind of done with this; people have probably had enough of it,' something like London Fashion Week happens."

Available at Eden Fashion Boutique (1042 Hamilton Street) or through Greenwood's Web site, www.amandagreenwood.com.

Lauren Elgee was inspired to launch her line of earrings after flipping through a copy of the London A–Z—not by something she saw advertised in the street atlas, but by the pages themselves.

"It took a lot of experimenting because at first they weren't really that great," Elgee says of the proto­type for what she now calls Vintage Illustration Earrings ($48).

Instead of maps, she uses antique children's books. First, she cuts two drawings into a shape like a dragonfly wing, coats them in clear plastic, then dips the ends into different colours. Especially adorable is a black-and-white pair that features a mother duck leading her ducklings to water on the left earring and the babies testing the waters on the right.

It's designs like this one that have attracted some unexpected customers.

"A couple of librarians have bought some, which surprised me because I thought they would slap my wrist," she says, referring to the sacrilege of cutting up vintage books. "Actually, people don't seem to have a problem with it.…I've always been more into looking at pictures, so I think this is sort of my revenge."

At several locations, including Fine Finds (1014 Mainland Street), Twigg & Hottie (3671 Main Street), and One of a Few (354 Water Street).