When I awakened this morning a little before six o’clock, the mercury had risen to a whole twelve degrees. A few hours later, it’s up to sixteen; I have no doubt that we hit the predicted low of eight overnight. Now, the air is still, clear as glass and so cold that its very touch burns skin and lungs alike.
Our first real winter storm, a month overdue, delivered several times the amount of snow predicted: What was forecast as three to five inches became, on some parts of our land, a foot and a half. We will be digging out for days.
Given the icy ambience of the day, it seems a good time to feature that which embodies flame: The Firebird Collection.
It’s a series of three necklaces that Wings created some months ago, fiery feathered spirits summoned from the forges and flames of a South American gold mine, given passage into the corporeal world in the form of a scarlet jewel with a woman’s name: Rosarita.
I’ve written about it here before, this stone that isn’t a stone at all, at least not in the way the word is usually understood. It’s a result of human intervention, a byproduct of precious-metal processing, simple gold slag.
At that time, I noted the serendipity linking gem and name, tracing the etymology, geography, and metallurgy involved: rife with religious undertones, all coming together in a series of actions and reactions to create motifs of fire and blood, of salvation and an alchemy of spirit.
All of these qualities form elements of the work’s history, its backstory . . . yet none of them, alone or together, constitutes a fully-dimensional, fully-articulated identity. There is a piece still missing, that which transcends markers imposed from without and elevates it into the realm of spirit.
Thus was born The Firebird. From its description in the Necklaces Gallery here on the site:
The standard-bearer of Wings’s Firebird series. The Firebird is a spirit being, a wingéd one in red and black who emerges from the flames to fly between the worlds. Wings has captured her essence in this magnificent piece, a necklace in a feathery shape that takes visual and tactile flight. The wing-like pendant, a spectacular bezel-set rosarita teardrop trimmed in twisted silver, fans out into tips of sterling silver and old natural blood-red coral. It hangs from a substantial hand-made bail embossed with images of the Eye of Spirit looking in all directions. The entire pendant is suspended from a stunning strand of traditional beads formed of alternating segments of apple coral rondels and jet discs, all tapering upward in classic graduated style. The beads are 18.5 inches long; the pendant hangs 2.75 inches long (including bail); the setting is inches 1.75 long by one inch across at the widest point; and the rosarita cabochon itself is 1.25 inches long by 11/16 of an inch across at the widest point (dimensions approximate). Other views shown below.
Sterling silver; rosarita (gold slag); branch coral; apple coral; jet
$2,200 + shipping, handling, and insurance
As I said when we first introduced this work, along with its two companions:
No, the piece was not named for the late (and inimitably great) Native prima ballerina, Maria Tallchief, although it would have been perfect for her. She was THE Firebird, the one without peer, and as a child, she was my role model, my hero and hope. The red and black would have suited her perfectly, and she would have worn it with all of the grace and spirit that she infused into the classic role itself.
But this Firebird refers to the spirit bird, one of unparalleled elemental power. It’s a perfect embodiment of that identity, too.
It is the wingéd red spirit born of the very fire itself, arising whole from the center of the flames to take flight.
It’s the very symbol of our people.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owners.
