When animals attack

Animal figures are back in a big way.

But instead of lining the racks of toy stores, these animals can now be found on the bejeweled fingers or wrists of women.

These aren’t your typical animal-inspired accessories. No deadly vipers in a nest of diamonds or golden leopards on a chainlink belt. This isn’t your mother’s ’80s accessories. None of that Joan Collins Dynasty stuff.

The latest crop of creature-inspired collections are a different animal altogether. Playful toy figurines with their heads lopped off adorn rings with trompe l’oeil gilding at AC +632. A yawning lion, mouth agape with a sunny crown, and squinting camel, its head turned inquiringly to the side, are some of the pieces that appear to embrace the trend of playful animal accessories.

Jeweler Janina Dizon-Hoschka tried her hand at it, turning out diamond-and-pearl studded octopus and jade-embellished foxes. Wynn Wynn Ong‘s celebrated Naga collection, which garnered a WWD cover in February, centers around the tale of a spider in a forest. Cuffs mimicked the texture of bark. One cuff stars a spider perched on a citrine.

Puppies are the focal point of Candy Dizon’s accessories. Pooches on a cuff — featuring all sorts, from schnauzer to dachshund — are emblematic of the sort of happy, kid-friendly fare that’s been making its way through retail outlets.

Forget overtly sexy accessories that look like they belonged to the costume department of Knots Landing.

Today’s hot new things look like they were lifted out of Toys ‘R’ Us.