Now that we’re back to work after the holidays and into the new year, I think we all deserve a bit of a distracting treat.

Anthropologie’s blog, The Anthropologist, has commissioned an amazing series of photographs for its January feature, continuing its mission of championing emerging and established artists across various disciplines.

Shawn Davis is a fly tying artist (as in fly fishing) as well as a self-taught goldsmith. He has turned the humble fishing fly into art so beautiful that even those of us who detest fishing are drawn in by his creations.

The fly Davis created for The Anthropologist’s photo series was inspired by Rumpelstiltskin. The artist spun together 100 strands of various materials including 18K gold strands that were finer than human hair, flax, and ostrich herl to create a fly that was also a beautiful pendant.

The photographs document the approximately 100 hour process Davis undertook to create this intricate and amazing piece of art. It’s too beautiful to use for fishing in its traditional sense but it certainly works to lure me in.

You can view the full photographic series at The Anthropologist.