This is a land of desert spirits, as hardy as they are delicate, and as powerful as life itself. With this cuff, Wings pays tribute to those that keep these harsh lands alive and thriving, from the silken petals of the cactus blossoms to the velvety wings of the butterflies that call these lands home in the warm months of the year. The band is formed of two strands of heavy-gauge sterling silver triangle wire, cut to identical lengths, fused at either end, and spread gently apart at the center, the better to hold the focal. Each upper angle of each strand is stamped freehand in a compound repeating patter of simple linked crescents, like the arc of the light, above which float those ethereal pollinators, the butterflies. At the center, in a scalloped bezel edged with twisted silver, rests an extraordinary marquise-shaped cabochon, neither stone nor shell, but a mix of materials both natural and made by human hands: a slice of indigenous cholla cactus, approximately an eighth of an inch thick, immersed in purple resin whose hues range from amethyst to violet to deepest plum, depending on the angle of the light. The cholla resembles golden flame; the resin channels the light through its body, and Wings has excised a central section of the bezel backing to permit it to filter through and show off the bold yet delicate color to best effect. Inner band is 6″ long; each strand is 5/16″ wide; together, fused at ends, 5/8″ wide; spread apart at center, 1-1/4″ wide total; bezel is 2-3/8″ long by 1-1/8″ across at the widest point; cabochon is 2″ long by 1″ across at the widest point [all dimensions approximate]. Other views shown below.
Sterling silver; cholla cactus in resin
$1,500 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Angled view, showing the light through the focal:
Side 1:
Underside:
Side 2:
Front view:
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