Etsy's wickedworld Makes the Stage at the Oscars

Betina Wassermann of wickedworld.etsy.com made the stage at the Oscars without ever setting foot on it! She walked the red carpet and up to Ryan Seacrest on the neck of Mickey Rourke ... and she did it doggy style! For those of you who pay close attention to what the celebrities are wearing, you may have noticed the necklace Mr. Rourke was wearing at the 81st Annual Academy Awards (and if you weren't paying attention, you made have heard Mr. Seacrest point it out). The necklace, exhibiting a picture of Mr. Rourke's late chihuahua, Loki, was a wickedworld original. Now you must be wondering, how did Betina pull that one off? That's what I was wondering when I read about it in an AM New York article.

I contacted Betina last week to congratulate her and ask her how she did it (along with some other questions). As many of you can guess, she has been SWAMPED with orders but she managed to squeeze in a few minutes to talk to me yesterday ... This is what I learned:

Betina didn't plan on any of this happening and she definitely didn't expect the outcome. A few day's before the Oscars, Betina learned about the death of Loki. Understanding the pain of losing a beloved pet (and being the huge Mickey Rourke fan that she is), Betina thought it would be really nice to send Mr. Rourke one of her necklaces in memory of Loki. After hours and hours of research, Betina identified Mr. Rourke's publicist and sent an email asking if she could get the necklace to him. Mr. Rourke's publicist replied asking to have the necklace ASAP. Betina was so shocked when she saw him wearing it she couldn't stop screaming. Betina told me, "I was just trying to get someone through a tough time. I never thought he would wear it." Luckily, Betina recorded the Oscars! ... on VHS!

Since her major and unplanned debut at the Awards, Betina has seen a lot of traffic to her shop and lots of orders. Although her shop is filled with glass pendants, beaded jewelry and great photography, most of her customers are requesting custom orders. According to Betina, "98% of the orders are for pendants with images of pets." Betina has been incredibly busy. There is currently a 3-4 week wait on orders... but she's not complaining.

Betina is a native New Yorker with a long history of working in the arts. She graduated from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) with a degree in photography. Five or six years ago, Betina began making beaded jewelry. As the times changed and styles changed, Betina moved on to chain work and approximately one year ago, glass pendants like the one Mr. Rourke showed the world. Betina describes her work as eclectic - with a dark twist. Although her pendants may not convey her dark side, her photographs of cemeteries illuminate it. Although Betina finds cemeteries beautiful, serene and incredibly statuary, she believes what draws her there are her macabre qualities.

If you are interested in seeing more of Betina's work or placing a custom order for one of her famous custom pendants, please visit her Etsy shop. Betina's glass pendants will also be available soon in select New York City boutiques.

Betina was also featured by the New York Post and Access Hollywood

wickedworld.etsy.com