Japanese artist and jeweler Shinji Nakaba began sculpting pearls into skulls in 2010. Finding himself “shocked by its beauty,” he knew he had found his calling. Prior to carving pearls, Shinji tried his hand at dressmaking, cobbling, couture, hair styling, and finally contemporary jewelry making, before discovering his own unique mark to make in the jewelry and art world. His work has been in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, the Museum of Arts & Design in New York, and several galleries and museums in Japan, where he works and resides.