The Making of a Top

Last dance…Last chance for love…

Presenting The Bottom Molecule gift shop! Cleaners by our fave QPOC-owned brand, the infamous “Top” and original art. Last chance for holiday delivery Mary!

Scented cleaners in Floral and Papaya. The OG Pig Top.

---

The Making of a Top: From sketch to Queer heirloom.

The Top is one of my most beloved creations. Designed as a Queer family heirloom which pays homage to the Gay “bedroom jewelry” of the 1970s. This was a popular genre of accessories, like snuff boxes, mother-of-pearl cocaine kits and amyl nitrite chains. Most of the Gay-owned companies were washed away during the AIDS crisis. With changing attitudes towards drugs in the 1980s, the popularity of drug jewelry declined.

The first Top (The Pig) was produced in 2010, followed by the bear and pup. Each new animal takes almost a year to complete from sketch to production. These are produced alongside Queer artist Blue Bayer and a team of artisans in NYC. They are carved, cast and soldered by hand in independent metal shops in Times Square and the Diamond District. The process uses a “lost wax” technique that dates back to the Bronze Age. The Top can’t be made by mass production, only tiny batches, 20 at a time.

Truth be told, The Top was born out of necessity. I was tired of losing bottles under pillows. They are also fantastic conversation starters on the dance floor. “Heirlooms” are not associated enough with Queerness. These materials and techniques means The Tops will outlive us and can be passed down. There’s something very powerful and sexy about that.

The Process

My sketch for The Pup brought life in a wax. The popularity of puppy play, leather pup masks and neck “locks” inspired this design.

Maximo has a supernatural ability to carve small details into wax! Maximo is a Peruvian craftsman who creates in NYC, specializing in working with gold.

Jay’s metal work shop, tucked away in near Times Square. Jay is an Iranian immigrant in business for decades. The casting of The Top happens here. Pieces are also soldered by hand and sent to a plating facility nearby, for a coating of precious metals like 24K gold and Sterling Silver.

This Bear Top, makes it to Blue Bayer’s studio in the East Village where it will be polished and equipped with a medical cap and industrial adhesive.

The Pup Top took over a year to create, with many setbacks due to Covid. There is something amazing about holding a piece like this in gold or silver, knowing it will be around for a long time and in the most intimate moments of someone’s life.

The Tops and Cleaners are seasonal, available for a very limited time!

---

For the holidays, gift subscriptions to Herrera Words are now available.