Artisan Dog Collars: The bon Christiani Story

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:26:09 GMT

Wheeley wearing the Celtic Rose collar

When is a dog collar not a dog collar? When it’s a trip across time and space to pay homage to the artistic traditions of ancient cultures. This year, Dog Collar Boutique began carrying bon Christiani’s unique line of handmade collars. Here is their story…

At bon Christiani, a boutique fine dog collar company, each handcrafted collar is a marriage of modern materials, old world craftsmanship, and the artistic visions of the ancient Celtic peoples. Founder and Owner Jennifer Christiano is a former research scientist now creating upscale accoutrements for dogs based on studies of ancient arts and crafts.

Unique and trademarked to bon Christiani dog collars are the D-rings, hand cast from recycled bronze by Sun Valley Bronze located in Bellevue, Idaho. They’re based on a historic Celtic belt buckle found on an Irish “Bog Man” mummy. The bright, finely engraved pewter décor pieces that encircle each collar are based on various Celtic knots, or Viking shield bosses. The high-grade semiprecious gemstone cabochons that customers can choose from to decorate the various collar designs, are all of the same types actually used in Celtic jewelry in ancient times. The only exception is the jade, “because people kept telling me that if I was going to sell anything Celtic, I needed to offer a green stone!” says Jennifer.

Jo Jo in the Epona collar

Besides being uniquely gorgeous, bon Christiani collars are also uniquely durable. They’re made from a proprietary, high-impact, bio-imitative leather on the outside, stitched to a soft, bio-imitative suede lining. The high-tech, cruelty-free materials offer the look and feel of fine hide while being impervious to rot, mold, and bacterial and viral growth. They can be worn in fresh and salt water, and cleaned with mild soap and water. Experience has shown that these collars even resist skunk spray, if cleaned quickly!

As bon Christiani grows, Jennifer plans to expand her line to include collars that pay homage to the art traditions of ancient Nubia, Egypt, Rome and other cultures. “I’m living out my second childhood as a cultural anthropologist,”, Jennifer jokes. “Needing something beautiful to outfit my German Shepherd with gave me the perfect excuse to indulge my passions for dogs, ethnic jewelry and ancient arts”. In addition, she feeds her passion for helping abused animals by donating 5% the profits of each sale to Kindness Ranch Humane Society.

bon Christiani is available exclusively at Dog Collar Boutique.

Jennifer and Padma

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Artisan Dog Collars: The bon Christiani Story