Last week, jewelry designer Victoria Simes shellacked hens’ feet.

“They’re cool, but I’m not going to use them,” said the designer during a conversation with Dossier and her friend and business partner, EVA NY’s Stephanie Pappas. For Simes, hens’ feet aren’t too far from the norm. Exotic, quirky and a bit dark, her jewelry line, Saltalamacchia, features some unconventional materials—to say the least. In the safety of her sub-EVA studio, the raven-haired designer braids, twists and layers strands of yarn, chains, horsehair and human locks into necklaces, cuffs and earrings.

“The human hair, people think it’s a little freaky. Some people think that the horsehair is freaky as well. But it’s all been used before. I just took it to the next level.”Admittedly, it sounds a bit shocking, but in truth, the rich textures and raw elegance of Simes’ unique accessories would be lost without her eclectic, “freaky” materials.

Reflecting on what Pappas described as a “natural evolution,” Simes, admitted that her adventures in jewelry began entirely by accident. While styling a collection for the design team FORM, she decided the clothes needed an extra kick. So she took matters into her own hands. “I was just like, ‘I’m gonna go get some yarn and some chains and we’ll see what happens.’ ”

What happened was sensational. Simes now exclusively offers her styling expertise to designer Maria Cornejo, who was a fan of her jewelry from the start. The original chain and yarn concoctions evolved into Simes’ signature horsehair knot necklaces, the first of which were worn down a Cornejo runway.

After a year of unwavering success, Simes continues to push the envelope. Constantly experimenting with new materials, she’s now juxtaposing raw gems with rough horsehair. For Cornejo’s last show, she designed necklaces around spherical silver baby rattles she found in Mexico. Her spring pieces, which feature clusters of coral yarn blossoming from gold chains, play with color and volume and there’s talk of incorporating large crystals and even spoons into her future work.

When asked what inspires her bewitching creations, Simes had to pause. “Maria [Cornejo] inspires me. People inspire me. Pappas inspires me. My boyfriend inspires me. It’s love and friendship. It’s not exactly what I see…It’s people.”

And just as Simes is inspired by her creative comrades, the avant-garde are addicted to her jewelry. But who is the Saltalamacchia woman? “It’s someone artsy, strong. You have to have your own mind, have spunk. It’s for strong women.” She looked up at Pappas, “Like us.”