Sirens have captured the human imagination since the beginning of time.
From ancient Greece to distant Polynesian shores, every culture has dreamt of beings who dwell in the deep — alluring, dangerous, and divine, beating the waters with their powerful coiling tails, hiding behind murky, shadow-like fins. They are the living embodiment of water’s dual nature: life-giving yet unpredictable, beautiful yet deadly.
Our fascination with water gave rise to countless myths and legends — stories that mirror both our wonder and our fear of the unknown.
Mermaids and Sirens Across the World
In ancient Greece, the earliest sirens were not mermaids at all, but winged women — part bird, part human, whose songs could enchant even the gods. According to one myth, they were once companions of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest. When Persephone was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld, Demeter gave her grieving attendants wings so they could search the seas and shores for their lost mistress. Their voices, filled with sorrow, became the songs that lured mortals to their deaths but not from malice - from a haunting yearning that mirrored their eternal loss.
Image credit. Upper: fragment of the Ulysses and the Sirens by Herbert James Draper, 1909. Lower: Siren campaign by Macabre Gadgets.
Another tale tells of the sirens’ contest with the Muses, daughters of Zeus and patrons of the arts. The sirens dared to challenge them in song, but when the Muses triumphed, they plucked the feathers from the sirens’ wings to fashion themselves crowns — symbols of their victory. Shamed and defeated, the sirens cast themselves into the sea, where they transformed into the mermaids we recognize today.
In these stories, the sirens are more than simple seductresses; they embody art and skill, joy and tragedy, and most importantly became complex, powerful and macabre characters.
Image credit. Left: Siren campaign by Macabre Gadgets. Right: Fontana del Moro by Giacomo della Porta 1570s.
In Greek mythology, the sea was not only home to sirens but also to mermen — divine and monstrous in equal measure. Among them, Triton, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, was the most renowned. Often depicted with a man’s torso and the tail of a fish, he carried a conch shell whose sound could calm or summon storms. Artists imagined him surrounded by other Tritons — a host of powerful sea spirits with wild hair, barnacle crowns, and scales glistening like hammered bronze. In some tales, these mermen guided lost sailors; in others, they dragged ships beneath the waves. Together with the sirens, they completed the ancient vision of the ocean as a living realm — filled with voices, dangers, and divine beauty.
In Japan, there is the Ningyo — a “human fish” with a monkey-like mouth and shimmering golden scales. The earliest written records of the ningyo appear in Japanese sources from the 7th century CE, describing it as a freshwater creature said to have been captured by fishermen.
Image credit. Upper: "Ningyo no zu": A woodblock-printed flier dated 5th month of Bunka 2 (1805). Lower: Siren campaign by Macabre Gadgets, model wearing Coral Crown Skull ring.
Image credit. Left: Siren campaign by Macabre Gadgets, model wearing Fan Coral hairpin. Right: Fragment of the woodblock print "Ningyo mermaid appears before Prince Shōtoku" (foundation myth of Kan'onji [Kannonji] temple in Ōmi).
Far from romantic, this mer-creature was said to bring storms and misfortune to those who caught it. Yet eating its flesh granted immortality, revealing again the paradox of the sea: peril and blessing intertwined.
Image credit. Upper: Hirokawa Kai. Nagasaki bunkenroku nukigaki or "Excerpts from the Records of Things Heard and Seen in Nagasaki". Lower: Siren campaign by Macabre Gadgets, model wearing Gills bondage.
Across Africa, the spirit Mami Wata reigns over rivers and oceans. Adorned in her finest jewelry and surrounded by serpents, she embodies wealth, power, and feminine freedom. Worshipped and feared, she can grant prosperity or chaos, reminding her followers that water — and beauty — must be respected.
In Southeast Asia, the Suvannamaccha, or Golden Mermaid, shines in Thai and Cambodian tellings of the Ramayana. Daughter of the demon king Ravana, she falls in love with Hanuman, the monkey god, while trying to thwart his bridge-building across the sea. Described as a golden-skinned mermaid with flowing hair and a serene gaze, she embodies both strength and gentleness — a spirit of the ocean who bridges worlds through love, not through conflict. Her image, radiant and compassionate, still appears on temple murals and amulets — a symbol of harmony and grace beneath turbulent waters.
Image credit. Upper: Siren necklace and Gills Ribs ring by Macabre Gadgets. Lower: A mural painting of Suvannamaccha and Hanuman at Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok.
And in the cold northern seas of Scotland and Ireland, legends tell of Selkies — seals who shed their skins to become human. They fall in love, raise families, but always return to the sea, drawn back by the tides of their nature. Their stories echo the longing that defines all mermaid myths — the eternal pull between two worlds.
Image credit. Left: Siren campaign by Macabre Gadgets, model wearing Pearl Crown Skull ring. Right: A Mermaid by John William Waterhouse 1900.
From the misty banks of the Vistula River comes the legend of Syrenka Warszawska, the Mermaid of Warsaw — half-woman, half-fish, and until today protector of the town. According to the tale, she once swam from the Baltic Sea up the river and, enchanted by the beauty of the land, decided to stay. When a merchant captured her, drawn by greed for her voice, a young fisherman rescued her — and in gratitude, she vowed to defend the city and its inhabitants.
The SIREN Collection — A Modern Myth
From the earliest myths, sirens and mer people were said to wear the riches of the ocean — strands of pearls tangled in their hair, coral beads glowing like living fire, and shell combs carved from the depths. Ancient storytellers imagined them in crowns and jewels grown by the sea itself.
That vision became the heart of our SIREN Collection — the third chapter in our quadriptych dedicated to mythical beings.
When we dreamed of our Siren, we saw not a pale, cold mermaid from northern legends, but a siren native to tropical waters — strong, radiant, and sacred like ancient nature itself.
We drew inspiration from the vibrant world beneath the waves: the bountiful coral reefs, the gleam of hidden pearls, and the dangerous beauty of shells that guard their treasures. Our Siren is no minor deity lingering in the background of a famous tale, our Siren is a force of nature, a crushing wave, a powerful hunter - sleek and shimmering, deadly yet gentle like water itself.
Vegan pearls echo the sirens’ love of ocean-born beauty while remaining kind to the living sea. Sterling silver, darkened and polished, mirrors the shifting light of deep waters — glimmering one moment, shadowed the next. And bonded marble, pale and porous, recalls coral skeletons and the bleached bones of unlucky mortals lost to the tide. Together, these materials form a dialogue between life and darkness, beauty and decay — a proper tribute to the siren’s world and a silver line of Macabre Gadgets' core.
Beyond symbolism, we explored the textures and forms of the sea: organic, dynamic, and unpredictable. Twists, spikes, and flowing curves mirror the language of the ocean — ever-changing, yet eternal.
From these stories and materials, the jewels of the SIREN Collection emerged — each piece a fragment of the deep, an artefact from a myth that existed long before us.
Featured Pieces
Silver Seashell Ring
Our translation of rhythmic seashell patterns into the language of jewelry. Crafted from sterling silver, it glorifies natural textures — the organic spirals and wave-like bends that echo the sea’s pulse. The shell seems formed from silvery water itself, a puzzle of movement and reflection. This piece transforms a simple seashell into an object of macabre beauty — something the sirens themselves might wear.
Image credit: Silver Seashell ring by Macabre Gadgets.
Silver Shells and Pearls Choker
Gleaming pearls twist together like sea foam caught in a storm. Blackened sterling silver shells, weathered and artefact-like, appear as if gathered by the ocean and forgotten after a wreck. This is no polished heirloom — it’s a wild offering: bold, untamed, and made for a siren drawn to darker tides.
Image credit: Silver Shells and Pearls choker by Macabre Gadgets.
Siren Ring
A tribute to these majestic mythical beings. In its sculpted form, we glimpse only the siren’s tail — vanishing into a swirl of splashing silver waters. It captures the essence of the untouchable: a fleeting moment of mystery, frozen in metal.
Image credit: Siren ring by Macabre Gadgets.
Octopus pendant
This sea-polished piece is featuring the octopus grasping a skull and taking it down to the ocean's depths. Hauntingly beautiful skull pendant handcrafted in marble and sterling silver.
Image credit: Octopus pendant by Macabre Gadgets.
Coral Crown Skull ring
Striking, handmade statement piece crafted in bonded marble and glass pearls. Its dramatic yet eco-conscious design blends medieval and oceanic motifs, creating a bold combination of natural materials and dark, regal aesthetics.
Image credit: Coral Crown Skull ring by Macabre Gadgets.
The Call
The Siren Collection by Macabre Gadgets is an ode to the sea’s endless mystery — to transformation, seduction, and strength.
Each piece is both relic and revelation, reminding us that beauty is never still, and the deep always calls us home.
