Tupelo to Red Right Hand: the songs of Nick Cave inspire a glitteringly dark jewel

On a gathering storm 
Comes a tall handsome man
In a dusty black coat 
With a red right hand

‘Nick and I had the idea of a charm bracelet years ago. My mother had given me hers and I treasure it. We thought we could create one that sort of upset the common notion of what a charm bracelet was about, by having the charms correspond to his songs; to do something gently subversive under The Vampire’s Wife label. This little gold hand is definitely the hand of the song’s creator!’ – Susie Cave

‘The Red Right Hand is an almost life-like replica of Nick’s hand, complete with his signature ruby ring.’ – Annoushka Ducas

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire's Wife

‘I love the idea of charms being an aide memoire to people’s life adventures. I’m not entirely sure how the little electric chair fits in there, but who knows what people get up to in their lives! I would love to create more. I have a whole new set of them in my head. Nick, after all, has written hundreds of songs.’ – SC

Pictured, Susie and Annoushka, both wearing The Vampire’s Wife. Photography: Nick Cave

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

My baby is alright
She doesn’t mind a bit of dirt
She says “horror vampire bat bite”
She says “horror vampire
How I wish those bats would bite”
Whoooah! Bite! Whoooah! Bite!

‘I had to choose a certain amount of songs, which meant leaving out one of my favourites, Jubilee Street. It has the wonderful line “I got a foetus on a leash”. But somehow doing a foetus charm seemed a step too far.’ – S

‘Working with someone else makes you design in a way you might not otherwise, and considering Susie’s ideas urged me to find a way to express her aesthetic without compromising my own.’ – AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

O Deanna
This is a car!
O Deanna
This is a gun!
And this is day number one!
And I ain’t down here for your money
I ain’t down here for your love
I’m down here for your soul

‘I never met Deanna but I really think I know her through this song. There is actually a weight you must carry when using a gun.’ – SC

‘The “Deanna” gun charm has a revolving barrel and a single diamond bullet. I am fanatical about making sure that things work as they would they do in real life and so the level of detail achieved in each charm is tremendously satisfying.’ – AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

Model Susie Cave had long harboured the idea of creating a charm bracelet with her husband Nick, twisting the traditional ‘good luck’ narrative with storied jewels based around his songs. Teaming up with London jewellery house Annoushka, the bracelet is now a reality and boasts a revolving gun barrel, an articulated church door and a miniature replica of Nick Cave’s hand. Launched under The Vampire’s Wife fashion label, we discover how this personal jewel rattling with brilliantly dark delights finally came to life.

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire's Wife

If we all hold hands 
And very quietly shout Hallelujah! 
God is in the house
God is in the house
I wish he would come out
God is in the house

'To be honest this song annoys me but it is my favourite charm. Open it and see Nick and I getting married in a replica of the little church in the woods in Surrey.' –SC

'The element of surprise in this is an articulated church door that enables you to see the wedding inside.' –AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire's Wife

If we all hold hands 
And very quietly shout Hallelujah! 
God is in the house
God is in the house
I wish he would come out
God is in the house

'It is this miniature detail that makes the bracelet so completely beautiful – look inside and you can even make out it’s Nick’s hair!' –SC

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire's Wife

And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I’m yearning 
To be done with all this weighing of the truth
An eye for an eye
A tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I’m not afraid to die

'I’ve watched this song live a thousand times and it keeps changing and morphing and becoming something else. It always stirs something deep inside.' –SC

'"The Mercy Seat" has little restraining straps which have been designed to move, and the hood has been delicately set with pavé diamonds. As an object the electric chair is disturbing and subversive but made in miniature in precious metals it becomes something desirable and beautiful.' –AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire's Wife

I believe in God
And I believe in mermaids too
I believe in seventy-two virgins 
On a chain
I believe in the rapture
Because I’ve seen you face
On the floor of the ocean
At the bottom of the rain

'Nick used to sit at home writing this song on the ukulele whilst looking out through our high windows over the sea.' –SC

'Charms are a recurring motif for me but working on this bracelet with Susie for The Vampire’s Wife label, took me in a completely new direction. Not only could I help Susie bring to life Nick’s songs, which are so intensely personal to her, I also wanted to do justice to Nick’s beautiful, poetic lyrics.' –AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire's Wife

Dig, yourself, Lazarus!!!
Dig yourself back into that hole!

‘I love the imagery in this song. I love the little spade. It’s a boy charm!’ – SC

‘I like how “DIG” is engraved on the reverse of the spade. Each charm is polished on the inside. This was the level of detail that Susie and I knew we wanted to achieve, even before we first put pen to paper.’ – AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

Love letter Love letter
Go get her Go get her
Love letter Love letter
Go tell her Go tell her
 
‘This song was written on a piece of paper and stuffed through my letterbox when Nick and I were courting.’ – SC

‘I delighted in creating a sense of surprise where I could, so I designed the “Love Letter” to open and close, so that it can fit a tiny note inside.’ – AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

Love letter Love letter
Go get her Go get her
Love letter Love letter
Go tell her Go tell her

‘I don’t even know if Nick wrote this song about me but he put the words on a piece of paper and stuffed it through my letter box and it worked!’ – SC

‘I am fanatical about making sure that things work as they would they do in real life and so the level of detail achieved in each charm, such as opening envelope for “Love Letter’, is tremendously satisfying.’ – AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

This is a weeping song
A song in which to weep
This is a weeping song
But we won’t be weeping long

‘This song always makes me want to dance. I don’t why as it’s about weeping. I think it is the Latin rhythm.’ –SC

‘In the past I have been inspired by more “traditional” charm influences, but I think a real collaboration is one that pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes you see things from a new perspective.’ – AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

Come sail your ships around me
And let your hair hang down
We make a little history, baby,
Every time you come around. 

“The first song I ever heard of Nick’s, played to me by a distant boyfriend. I can’t remember the guy, but the song I’ll never forget!’ – SC

‘I designed the galleon to have a secret opening hull, so that you can see the name of the song inside.’ – AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

Come sail your ships around me
And let your hair hang down
We make a little history, baby
Every time you come around. 

‘I always love the first line, “Come sail your ship’s around me.” What a beautiful image.’ – SC

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

Let the bells ring
He is the real thing
Let the bells ring
He is the real, real thing

‘This song is in praise of Johnny Cash. I love its devotional quality. Nick has always had a great respect for those who have come before.’ – SB

‘We spent a lot of time discussing metal finishes – I tend to use different colours, textures and contrast in my designs, while Susie prefers polished yellow gold.’ – AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

‘It was a voyage of discovery for both Susie and me, and we spent many happy hours sitting around Susie and Nick’s kitchen table, surrounded by our dogs, bouncing ideas off one another. I think a real collaboration is one that pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes you see things from a new perspective. Working with someone else makes you design in a way you might not otherwise.’ – AD

Photography: Nick Cave

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

Looka! Looka yonder!
A black cloud came down!

‘There is a lot of blues music played in the Cave household. Especially John Lee Hooker. This song is Nick’s take on an old John Lee song. Such a scary and exciting song, especially live!’ – SC

‘Considering Susie’s ideas urged me to find a way to express her aesthetic without compromising my own – it made me design in a way that I might not have otherwise.’ – AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife

They called me the Wild Rose
But my name was Eliza Day
Why they called me it I do not know
For my name is Eliza Day

‘A beautiful classic-style country song that Nick wrote for Kylie Minogue. Kylie and Nick’s voices together, such impossible extremes, gives it a haunting quality. I love this song.’ – SC

‘With this charm collection, I helped Susie bring to life Nick’s songs, which are so intensely personal to her.’ – AD

The charm bracelet is available at Annoushka and The Vampire’s Wife