Our theme this week has a decidedly floral pattern, one that encompasses both the flowering plants and the spirits who tend them. We are now at that stage of the year when the blooms are fast disappearing, giving way to skeletal gray branches and leaves spinning from gold to amber to scarlet to a brown that matches the still-warm earth.
At the moment, a few hardy blossoms remain standing insistently upright, most of them the gold and purple of the sunset sky. The vines are now more red than green, erupting in one last glorious flowering of color before their winter slumber.
And the next rain we get may well be thickened with snow.
Today’s featured work appears in the shades of the season: the muted dusky rose of the twilight sky, the deep crimson of the changing leaves, the charcoal colors of stormcloud and soil. From its description in the Bracelets Gallery here on the site:
Red Flower Rain Cuff Bracelet
A monumental cabochon of red flower jasper serves as the focal point of this magnificent unisex cuff. The stone, a warm, earthy rose shade with a mulberry and charcoal matrix of dendritic wildflower blossoms, is set into an elevated scalloped bezel, trimmed with twisted silver, and accented with a tiny chatoyant tiger’s eye cabochon at one side. The cuff, wide and weighty, features a hand-stamped row of matched thunderhead symbols chased along the center of the band, flanked at either edge by a single row of thunderheads. The band itself tapers slightly at either end for a comfortable fit. In the inner band, morning stars and other celestial symbols are scattered like constellations tossed across the pre-dawn sky. Band is 1-11/16″ across, narrowing to 1-3/8″ at either end; the bezel is slightly wider, 1-7/8″ long by 1.25″ wide; the visible portion of the stone is 1.5″ long by 1-1/8″ wide (dimensions approximate). Other views shown below.
Sterling silver; red flower jasper
$1,550 + shipping, handling, and insurance
The hues of the stone have an antique appearance. The stampwork on the band hints at more ancient meanings yet, traditions and spirits as old as the world and time. Their elemental pairing reminds us that life survives the change of seasons, even the coldest and harshest of them, and although their tones will soon be muted, they will return to full color with the retun of the sun.
In the meantime, before the flowers sleep, they give us the gift of one last brilliant dance.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owners.
