Starting out on the wrong foot isn’t always a bad thing.

Take San Francisco artist and jewelry designer Taryn McCabe. Her time studying footwear at the London College of Fashion led not to career creating stylish shoes, as she’d planned, but to a jewelry business instead.

“I went…and fell in love with leather. I worked for a few shoe companies, but realized that it was much more fun to outfit peoples ears (and necks) rather than comfortably fit their feet,” says McCabe, a multimedia artist currently pursuing an MFA from San Francisco State University.

Working with leather in bold hues and metallics, McCabe hand cuts leaves, flowers and geometric shapes to fashion earrings and, most recently, necklaces into her collection’s ultra light-weight adornments.

Over three inches long, earrings such as the Turquoise and Platinum (top left) and Metallic Tri Leather (below) feature multiple layers cut with intricate patterns that balance McCabe’s respect for arts-and-crafts with an edginess we applaud. Another standout? The Leather Garland Necklace (bottom), whose mix of rich red paired with black and metallic leather delivers a slightly subdued twist on rocker chic that’s still plenty of fun.

For more on McCabe, visit her web site and check out her etsy shop. Find her work in person at Rabat on Chestnut or, starting Aug. 4, at Secession Art + Design.