Skully Kouture: creating Walking Dead inspired jewelry

From small beginnings with Kharma Collection, to selling bracelets in a small boutique in Andover, Massachusetts, Heather Magliozzi Weikel’s passion and skill grew over time to create Skully Kouture. Amongst the jewelry from bracelets to earrings comes a collection inspired by The Walking Dead.

Heather was kind enough to tell me about how Skully Kouture came to be and how The Walking Dead inspired some of her most unique and popular jewelry. Kharma Collection began as a way to raise awareness for Scleroderma, a disease she explained, “I’ve had since 1997. I once couldn’t tie my own shoes or barely walk a mile…fast forward to today and I’m creating jewelry and completing road races.”

Heather’s friend owned General Goods in Andover, Massachusetts where for every bracelet sold a percentage was donated to Scleroderma related causes. With all the creative freedom, “I started shopping at gem shows to purchase my materials.”

The result of these new bracelets led to her creating Skully Kouture, selling out as fast as she was making them. Her jewelry went to the next level when a friend who attends conventions asked her to bring some of her bracelets.

“I thought he was crazy,” Heather explained. “He told me to put them on his table and see how they would do. We almost sold out and he said to me, “next year, you will be beside me with a table of your own,”.”

What was one small table became a 10 x 10 booth. Since then Skully Kouture has signed up for several conventions, expanding their jewelry and items into themed collections.

Heather began her Walking Dead inspired collection with “The Governor” bracelets when she signed up for her first Walker Stalker Con in Boston, Massachusetts combining skull and crossbones beads with green malachite to create the eye patch. From there the collection grew.

Of all the items she sells her Daryl Wings necklace is the best seller and admits, “Although I do love Norman Reedus and love making Daryl jewelry, my favorite character is Rick. I think I might be biased as I have loved him since Love Actually. Seeing him transform into Rick Grimes has impressed me.”

While selling her jewelry at conventions Heather has met several actors from The Walking Dead including Emily Kinney, Sarah Wayne Callies, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Lew Temple and voice actor Melissa Hutchison who voices Clementine from The Walking Dead video game. Heather reminisced how she gave “Sarah one of my handmade vintage bone bracelets, she put it right on and said “I’m never taking this off,”.”

Adding that upon trying to give Melissa a discount for an aura quartz, “She said, ‘you need to make money too,’.” Skully Kouture grabbed Lew’s attention when they were selling eyeball rings. “He walks into my booth and asked, “Do you have an eyeball ring”, I said “Yes” and he said, ‘I’ll take two’.”

Hoping to find them at a convention this year? Skully Kouture has signed up for the following conventions:

Gamer Con at Mohegan Sun, Wizard World Philadelphia, ComiCONN at Foxwoods, Boston Comic Con (now Fan Fest Boston), TerrifiCon at Mohegan Sun, Rhode Island Comic Con.

Skully Kouture is waiting to be accepted for the following conventions:

New York Comic Con, Scare-A-Con New England, Granite Con in New Hampshire and Walker Stalker New Jersey

Expect more Walking Dead inspired pieces soon with new charms and additions such as quartz and druzy.

“I’m currently working on rebranding Skully and combining it with elements of Kharma Collection and a vintage jewelry line I currently sell on etsy. This March we will have a new website, logo and more unique products all under one domain.”

If you find yourself in Webster, Massachusetts you can find Skully Kouture in the small shop Booklovers’ Gourmet. Heather’s “goal is to expand my presence in more local shops as well as host Pop Up shops.”

In the meantime keep a eye out for them while attending your next convention and visit the website: www.SkullyKouture.com

If you want to find out more about Skully Kouture and keep up to date with where they will be next visit their social media sites:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkullyKouture

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skullykouture

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skullykouture

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• Walking Dead actor Chandler Riggs filming new movie in Tampa Bay
• Why is there no season 12 of The Walking Dead?
• Will Morgan Jones find Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live spinoff?
• Watch Tales of TWD actress Jillian Bell in Prime Video’s Candy Cane Lane

When I asked Heather, what she hopes buyers take away when they purchase her Walking Dead inspired jewelry she explained, “Honestly, with all my jewelry I hope they walk away with a smile. I hope they know that I really appreciate every purchase. I love when people run over to my booth gleaming because I know they’ve caught something that makes them happy. I have been so fortunate to have the ability to vend at these amazing places and meet some really amazing people including vendors alike. I know have a Con Family.”