Skull Jewelry

In Melbourne, Australia a few weeks ago, I happened upon this piece in a shop window.
No idea what is going on here.
Apparently an actual animal skull of some sort, about the size of a dog (or a Dingo?) fitted with an elaborate piece of metalwork. The stone looks to be a huge Labradorite I think.
(Australia is known for their opals.....they were everywhere in shops, and not cheap, I might add.)
Interesting...but what would you do with it?

Melbourne, Australia...city of innovative graffiti. I mean, street art!

We just got home from the trip of a lifetime: two weeks exploring the Australian coast. 

I'll post more about the trip in the weeks to come, but for starters I want to share with you my shots of the colorful graffiti we found throughout the eclectic city of Melbourne. (pronounced "Melbin" by the Aussies, BTW)

I even caught a few artists in the act. (Boy was that alley filled with toxic fumes!)

Great stuff, though. It really transformed what might have otherwise been dirty depressing back alleys into outdoor art galleries. A real treat.

Click here to see how the city government of Melbourne feels about their painted walls.
You can click on each individual image to see it larger.