"Jewelry is about style; style is about personality; personality is about expression; expression is art," says Simon Teakle, head of Christie's jewelry department, in Town & Country's January photo commentary on wearable art. The featured pieces are unusual, complicated, even strange enough to fit with a modern art exhibit – but they're jewelry designs available at galleries and department stores. Among the designs are John Nels Hatleberg's South Sea "Pearl Pods," a gold and platinum "Nest" pendant by Neissing, an over-the-top brooch called "The Barbarian's Bicycle" by William Harper and the "Eye of Time" pin commissioned by Salvador Dalí.

- by Stacey King