The ancient Romans had a goddess of their sewer system who they named Cloacina, and during the great plagues that ravaged the Western World in the centuries to follow, one might have sent a prayer to the same deity before entering one of the privies where the stricken and healthy alike visited, creating breeding grounds for the plague to spread. It is from this goddess of the outhouse that Lydia Pagett's name for her jewelry line, Cloacine, is derived, a bit of trivia that will be appreciated by the men and women who are attracted to her pieces, the staple of which are the utility rings meant to be worn in layers and featuring protruding spikes that one certainly wouldn't want to feel the business end of:

Actually, Pagett, who wears a set of utility rings daily, says that she uses it all the time for nonviolent tasks like opening boxes and cleaning under her fingernails, noting that the sharpness of the points wear down over time, and promising that she has never caused anyone harm--either purposely or by accident--with it (although she does recommend taking them off before going to sleep, especially if you're not sleeping alone.

In these troubling times, there's something very appealing about jewelry that doubles as a tool, and a weapon, especially if you figure the economic crunch will lead to a rise in property crime. This is one of the meaner looking models, called the Night Escort:

Ouch. You can turn this around so that the spiky end is hidden against your palm, just keep these in the hands of the good guys only. And in terms of pure decor, they look seriously cool embedded in a stack of other, less threatening shapes:

Her most recent work, however, moves into more organic shapes with colorful stones:

Another signature are rings with colossal stones. Here are some of the biggest:

Find Cloacine at Cannibals in Northwest Portland at 518 NW 21st.
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