There were masks of green velvet that make the face look trebly powdered; masks of the heads of birds, of apes, of serpents, of dolphins… There were wigs of black and scarlet wools, of peacocks’ feathers, of gold and silver threads, of swansdown, of the tendrils of the vine, and of human hair; huge collars of stiff muslin rising high above the head; whole dresses of ostrich feathers curling inwards; tunics of panthers’ skins that looked beautiful over pink tights; capotes of crimson satin trimmed with the wings of owls; sleeves cut into the shapes of apocryphal animals; drawers flounced down to the ankles, and flecked with tiny, red roses; stockings clocked with fêtes galantes, and curious designs; and petticoats cut like artificial flowers.
— Aubrey Beardsley
The Rococo era has fascinated people’s imagination for more than two hundred years. Characteristically grotesque silhouettes, inflated shapes, suffocating pastels — almost like a serene flower garden crowded with beautiful but dangerous insects. Beautiful creatures of the sun with poisonous stings but very short lives. This contrast of exquisite artificial aesthetic, the danger of 18th-century court life, and the theatrical tragedy of Rococo keeps inspiring artists from every generation centuries later. We too fell under its spell and keep returning to this aesthetic to explore it from different angles. So what makes Rococo so hypnotising and seductive? Perhaps it is the lingering dark allure of the preceding era’s dramatic events?
A Dark History
Half a century earlier in Baroque Versailles the court of Louis XIV was consumed by the Affair of the Poisons — a scandal that reached into the highest circles of the French society. Fortune telling, love potions, and all sorts of poisons were in use among the most powerful people in the country. King Louis XIV himself established a committee to investigate and prosecute the guilty. Hundreds were implicated and 36 executed during the trials.
In the course of these events, Madame de Montespan, the mistress of the king, was accused of conducting several black masses and performing rituals to secure her position in the king’s favor. The accusations were so brutal that the investigation was moved behind closed doors and all records were sealed. The king dissolved the special tribunal he had established — the Chambre Ardente — in an attempt to contain the scandal. Madame de Montespan was quietly exiled. But the interest in the occult did not disappear. It went deeper underground, hiding behind the secret societies of the most influential European courts. It became a dark true face behind the powdered rococo mask.
Marie Antoinette, marble bust, Petit Trianon, Versailles · Marble skull, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome · Rococo boiserie, Château de Versailles · Silver Skeleton Hand & Crescent Moon Pendant →
The Aesthetic of Concealment
While visually Rococo aesthetics were defined by pastel colours, sunlit gardens, and romance, a parallel current ran beneath the surface — a fascination with mysticism. Mainstream Rococo art showcased floating cupids and blushing lovers, but the same aristocratic circles that commissioned these works were drawn to alchemy, tarot reading, and spirit conjuring. Traditional religious piety faded, replaced by a deep interest in esoteric mysteries and secret networks.
Hôtel de Soubise, Paris. Boiserie by Germain Boffrand, 1735–40 · Ghost Editorial → · Marble Veiled Skull Ring → · Stone relief, Petit Trianon, Versailles
Rococo fashion mirrored this duality: a hyper-stylised, artificial exterior explicitly designed to mask what lay beneath. The obsession with the masquerade ball went far beyond entertainment. Wearing elaborate velvet masks and heavy silken hoods allowed the nobility to shed their rigid social identities and move anonymously through spaces where taboo behaviours were permitted. The fashionable practice of wearing artificial velvet or silk beauty marks evolved into an intricate silent language of deception. The extreme reliance on white face powder created a striking, almost deathly aesthetic — a porcelain pallor that sat uncomfortably between exquisite beauty and a corpse-like mask, perfectly embodying the era’s fixation on defying “natural” at all costs.
18th century canal house, Amsterdam. From our archive.
Our Reading
By no means do we claim to fully understand this phenomenon through a modern point of view. But we can admire the exquisite aesthetic of Rococo and its art, its fascination with secrecy and darkness. We are not only inspired by the period itself — we are interested in the hidden narratives it contains: the contradictions, symbols, and darker interpretations that history often leaves beneath the surface. We do not recreate historical styles. We read them differently.
A Rococo table. An ancient urn. Flowers gathered at dawn — and a skull that was always there. Storm Editorial →
The Rococo era masked its morbid obsessions beneath a hyper-artificial veneer of powdered wigs, pale roses, and sugary silk. This contrast created a haunting duality — courtiers indulging in forbidden rituals while dressed like fragile porcelain dolls. Our Dark Rococo pieces are not historical reproductions. They borrow the ornamental language of the 18th century — shell scrolls, elaborate curves, layered decoration, and asymmetry — and reinterpret it through the symbolism that defines Macabre Gadgets. The result is jewelry that feels unmistakably Rococo in character, yet belongs entirely to the present.
18th century marble bust, Musée du Louvre, Paris · 18th century fashion and masks, Ca’ Rezzonico, Venice · Storm Editorial → · Crystal chandelier shadow on 18th century wall panelling, Château de Versailles. From our archive.
The Collections
Ghost
Ghost was one of our first major projects. We were in a search for an interpretation of Rococo epoch and finally the decision formed. A Rococo ghost was something Macabre Gadgets needed to explore. On the shores of the North Sea we shot the story of an eternal ghost — a shipwreck victim perhaps, a noble lady wandering along the line between the sea and the sand. The melancholic mood was a contrast to heavy black silver jewelry: memento mori cameos, black velvet chokers, and lustrous pearl necklaces. The skull was the central motif. Ghost Editorial → · Ghost Collection →
Storm
Ten years later another story kept us awake. This time we shifted the aesthetic, using Gainsborough and Reynolds as inspiration. A darker mood, a darker story. In the early morning a Rococo lady gathers flowers — but instead of making a bouquet, she begins brewing a potion. The jewelry also took a darker turn: a highly detailed and polished skeletal arm, veiled skulls hiding their smiles, and of course a great many pearls. Storm Editorial → · Storm Collection →
Dark Rococo — the universe →
Sculptural Jewelry — our artistic practice →