Steampunk Spider Lapel pin

This is an absolutely stunning piece of work! The combination of the beetle and the gears is a great way to represent and do justice to the Victorian 'early science' feel that steampunk often has, and the craftsmanship of it is wonderful; the amount of detail in the clockwork and its application is impressive and shows great skill.

I especially love the details that are more subtle with the clockwork that show or portray possible mechanical movement, for example the way the gears on the elytra meet the ones on the main body and the teeth mesh together so that they could easily be imagined to turn and open, or the spring that connects the head to the body.

A minor improvement that could be made is the choice of color in the gears. The choice of brass and silver tones clashes slightly with the black and brown of the insect's body, which deters from the biomechanical feel of the piece by making the clockwork parts seem disconnected. I would suggest if you're working with this type of insect that you use darker metals, like iron or copper, so that they appear closer to the natural tones of the creature. This is a minor suggestion though and all in all the piece is wonderful! I can almost hear it whirring and clicking its way across the windowsill of a steampunk workshop.