Donald Friedlich First Foray into Jewelry with a Political Point of View

The Abortion Pill Brooch, which has both political and personal resonance for me, is dedicated to my mother who turned to Planned Parenthood in the early 1950s for help conceiving her second child—me. After my birth she worked as a passionate supporter of Planned Parenthood’s mission until she died of breast cancer, only 50 years old, when I was 15. I’m certain she would have been as appalled as I was by the US Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and led to the recriminalization of abortion in many states. Still, 63% of abortions in the US are done with medications, and so the right-wing conservatives are now targeting those prescription drugs. My brooch speaks to these efforts. The box in which the abortion pill Mifepristone comes is encased in glass. The front of the piece, reflecting the current law, says, In an emergency, break glass, but the secreted back warns, Breaking glass may lead to imprisonment. In direct light, the dark shadows of the words are projected onto the cardboard box inside, adding an eerie depth to the design.


Donald Friedlich. Necklace: Necklace for a Malignant Narcissist, 2025. 
Antique mirror, steel, silver chain, 19.7 x 11 x .6 cm.
Photo by: Sanders Visual Images.


My Necklace for a Malignant Narcissist is made from a weathered antique hand mirror from 1946, the year of Trump’s birth. On the mirror side, I’ve etched the words he longed for but never heard, Daddy Loves You Donald. While he admires his own reflection in the mirror, the back face shows the words, Malignant Narcissist to everyone else.


Donald Friedlich. Head piece: Thick as a Brick, 2025.
Foam rubber, gold-plated steel screw. 19 x 10 x 12.7 cm.
Photo by: Sanders Visual Images.


I made four crowns for autocrats in response to the US No Kings protest movement. The first crown is inspired by the lyric I may make you feel, but I can’t make you think from Jethro Tull’s song Thick as a Brick. While it appears to be a heavy brick, it’s actually cast from very light foam rubber. The gold-plated screw in the top is intended to be driven into Trump’s head. The inspirations for the second one, which more closely resembles a classical crown, are the Pink Floyd song Just Another Brick in the Wall and the barricades of medieval castles. This crown represents the MAGA movement’s cruel obsession with immigrants of color and the border wall with Mexico. It also alludes to the mental barriers of the ignorant mind.


Donald Friedlich. Head piece: Just Another Brick in the Wall, 2025.
Jesmonite. 17 x 17 x 4.2 cm.
Photo by: Sanders Visual Images.


My wife is partially of Ukrainian lineage, so two of the crowns speak to the madness and destruction of homes and lives caused by Putin's horrendous invasion and bombing of civilians in Ukraine. The Totally Unhinged Crown is formed from five salvaged steel door hinges. The rusted patina suggests the twisted metal debris that survives when a home burns.


Donald Friedlich. Head piece: Totally Hinged/Unhinged, 2025.
Salvaged steel hinges, brass. 17 x 17 x 6.1 cm.
Photo by: Sanders Visual Images.


Ukraine Still Burns, composed of small, charred wooden houses, comments further on the destruction of civilian homes. The wood emits a disturbing burnt odor, while the royal blue lining speaks to Putin’s authoritarianism.


Donald Friedlich. Head piece: Ukraine Still Burns, 2025.
Wood, felt. 19 x 19 x 5 cm
Photo by: Sanders Visual Images.


The trompe l’oeil Rebar Necklace speaks to Trump’s history of building skyscrapers. The necklace appears to be steel rebar, which is used in construction to reinforce concrete, and thus comments on the weighty yoke Trump inflicts on his constituents. In reality, the piece is rubber over an aluminum wire core, which allows it to flex enough to go over the neck. It also speaks to the deception and fragility of the autocrat. And from a strictly craft perspective, I like the idea of taking a mundane material that appears cold, immovable, and industrial, and making it into a very functional piece of jewelry.


Donald Friedlich. Necklace: Rebar, 2025.
Rubber, aluminum. 19 x 24 x 2.5 cm.
Photo by: Sanders Visual Images.


Like so many others, I’ve had a hard time bringing balance to my life in the current disturbing environment. My hollow ceramic Fragile Balance brooch, which perches on the shoulder like a giant pearl, appears to laugh at the laws of gravity and declare we will continue despite the planet’s current precarious state. The fact that eggs are such vital sources of life amplifies the tension of the jewelry.


Donald Friedlich. Brooch: Fragile Balance One, 2025.
Ceramic, neodymium magnet, steel. 6.1 x 4.3 x 4.3 cm.
Photo by: Sanders Visual Images.


Finally, the Nail Polish Brooch continues my interest in found objects, consumer products, and making accidental spills wearable. In connection with the political project, it suggests that art can imbue the messiness of our quotidian lives with meaning and even humor.


Donald Friedlich. Brooch: Spilled Nail Polish, 2024.
Glass bottle, resin, sterling, nickel silver. 7.9 x 3 x 3.8 cm.
Photo by: Sanders Visual Images.