Tom and Carol Paretti are well-known in the world of brass and leather kaleidoscopes for their careful attention to detail, impeccable quality, and inventive design. Among my personal favorites are their beautiful Feather and Leather kaleidoscopes. Instead of more common beads, crystals, glass or stones, Tom and Carol Paretti fill the object cell of these pieces with colorful feathers! As for creating new kaleidoscopic images, in place of a traditional turning cell you’ll find that Feather and Leather kaleidoscopes are outfitted with a perfume-like atomizer. Give this a gentle squeeze to send the feathers swirling inside.
The atomizer is carried across much of the Paretti’s collection, with traditional spinning mechanisms also available in equally eye-catching designs. Handmade in the USA, the care and artistry with which Tom and Carol Paretti craft each scope is immediately evident. Brass kaleidoscope fittings perfectly complement richly-detailed leathers – mechanisms for movement go beyond what you might have ever imagined! An exquisite example can be found in the ‘Black Magnetto’ kaleidoscope, which relies on a small turning magnetic knob to produce the ever-changing kaleidoscope image inside with the help of magnetic pieces in the object cell. So inventive and uniquely intriguing!