We live beneath the beauty of a kaleidoscope sky, from the fluttering wingéd spirits of the lower atmosphere to the stardust spiral galaxies of deepest space. With this cuffs, Wings summons these spirits of air and sky into work of deepest blues set atop an arc of pure silvery light. The band is heavy sixteen-gauge sterling silver, cut classically medium-wide, its freehand scorework and stampwork an homage to the bold geometric Art Deco style of Indigenous silverwork of a hundred years ago. A narrow border is scored along either edge, using a single short chisel-end stamp, chased dozens of times to create the deep lines. More scorework radiates outward from the center in hallmark Deco style: five rays per side, bold and deep and beautifully bright, evoking the flared lines of the kaleidoscopic patterns that so inspired Deco art and architecture. Within each narrow border, he has stamped an old traditional thunderhead motif in a repeating positive/negative pattern: point down, it represents the rain; point up, the kiva steps and crenellated parapets of the ancient village. At the center, elevated as slightly as humanly possible, sits an extraordinary focal formed of an ellipse-shaped cabochon of royal lapis lazuli, imported directly from Afghanistan. The blues are those of storm and deep space, and in true royal lapis fashion, it’s dusted with mysterious whorls of calcite and pyrite’s stardust shimmer. It sits in a hand-made bezel, all the chisel- and file-work performed freehand, atop an extended organic bezel backing, saw-cut by hand and stamped in an alternating pattern of sacred hoops and tiny geometric butterflies — those sacred spirit messengers whose collective form is known as a kaleidoscope. Solid sixteen-gauge sterling silver band is 6″ long by 1-1/8″ wide; focal setting is 1-5/8″ high by 1-1/8″ wide; cabochon is 1-1/4″ high by 3/4″ wide (all dimensions approximate). Other views shown below.
Sterling silver; royal lapis lazuli
$1,400 + shipping, handling, and insurance
SOLD
Side 1:
Side 2:
Underside/band ends:
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.
