Last night produced a ring around the moon the likes of which I have not seen in decades. No, the rings themselves are not at all rare, despite what the Weather Channel would have you believe. But to see one so far from the edges of the moon itself, the sky perfectly clear in between it and the ring, was phenomenal in the literal sense of the word.
It also set the stage for the clouds that moved in overnight, and the mix of skies and light that we have seen already this day. Together, they all herald a change in the weather — specifically, the arrival of a storm — and thus far, it appears as though the forecast for snow over the next two days will hold.
Before this day is out, we shall have seen all the shades of the sun that the season has to offer: a golden sunrise, clouds backlit into a luminescent white; the silvery-grays and blues of the sunlit stormclouds throughout this day; and at twilight, undoubtedly the amber and coral and crimson fire of sunset, against the gold/green/blue gradient of nightfall. It’s beautiful weather — skies always in motion, air still but quickened with the sense of anticipation that a gathering storm brings with it.
And while it remains too warm for this time of year today, it is at least a little cooler than yesterday, and there is still more snow on the ground than exposed earth now.
These are all good signs, and they all point to good news for the land, and for us.
They’re also a gift — of warmth, of illumination, of beauty, of medicine, a little healing for spirits abraded by all that is so very wrong in the world, a little respite, a little inspiration to return to the work required of us.
Today’s featured masterwork embodies all of these gifts of the light, from dawn to dusk and all the stages of sun and storm between them. From its description in the Necklaces Gallery here on the site:
All the Shades of the Sun Necklace
One day beneath an alpine desert sky shows us all the shades of the sun, and all of the medicine of its warmth and light. With this necklace, Wings summons the fiery amber glow of the sunrise and the banded sunset flames to dance with the luminous shimmer that filters through the midday storm. The pendant, cut freehand of solid sterling silver, is built around three spectacular cabochons: at top, an elongated trapezoidal specimen of beautifully marbled Indonesian Maligano jasper, sunny shades of gold and peached veined with the slate blue-gray of trailing stormclouds; bookended below, the golden glow of dawn captured in an oval of agatized amber, and all the fires of the dusk in a bloodstone ellipse, beautifully banded in a gradient of dusty rose and ivory, teal and crimson. All three cabochons are set into scalloped bezels atop a single organic backing, framed on their extended edges by freehand stampwork in a raidant motif. The beads in the strand were all hand-selected to pick up the colors in the cabochons, from rounds of slate gray moonstone banded with peach inclusions to sunstone, gray-white moonstone, cloud jasper, and fire agate, punctuated by giant old amber rondels, faceted Indonesian silver barrels, and freeform nuggets of golden and cherry amber, anchored at either end by alternating rounds of fire agate and bloodstone followed by dusky teal Kambaba jasper. Bead strand is 22″ long, excluding findings; pendant including bail is 3-1/2″ long; pendant alone is 3″ long by 1-5/8″ across at the widest point; bail is 1/2″ long by 1/2″ across at the widest point; Maligano jasper cabochon is 1-3/8″ long by 15/16″ across at the widest point; amber cabochon is 15/16″ long by 5/8″ across; bloodstone cabochon is 1-3/16″ long by 9/16″ across (all dimensions approximate). Other views shown above, below, and at the link.
Pendant: Sterling silver; Maligano jasper; agatized amber; bloodstone
Strand: Tri-ply foxtail plated with silver; sterling silver findings
Beads: Gray moonstone with peach inclusions; old amber; sunstone; Indonesian silver; moonstone; cloud jasper
fire agate; amber; cherry amber; black moonstone; bloodstone; Kambaba jasper
$2,000 + shipping, handling, and insurance
This is an extraordinary work by any measure, bringing together seemingly disparate elements into one wonderfully unified whole. As I have said so many times before, it would never have occurred to me that these three stones belonged together, and indeed, even as I watched the pendant taking shape, I remained skeptical still. But from the moment that Wings set the stones, it was clear that his vision was right: beautiful, balanced, and radiating power as raw as it is refined.
The bead strand, too, is perfectly suited to the pendant, picking up not only the colors of the sun but all the shades of the stones, as well. It’s finely calibrated and richly textured simultaneously, the sizes and shapes of the beads balanced against each other, creating a cascade of mystical storm and fire and pure winter light.
And that, too, calls to mind the beauty of the storm, particularly at this season: snowfire, the phenomenon illustrated in the three photographs that appear in the posts of the last two days. Indeed, all the shades of those three images are present in this piece, from the colors arrayed across the pendant’s cabochons to the cascading glow of the beads that hold it. It’s a perfect embodiment of the best that winter offers us here, medicines that are likely to revisit us over the next few days.
It will allow the land a little rest and respite, a little healing . . . and will offer the same for our spirits, too. The skies this day have been transcendent, the edges of the clouds iridescent, painted with an artistry no human hand can match. How briefly, we are being granted the magic and medicine of early winter, of mystical storm and fire and pure winter light.
The land is grateful, and so are we.
~ Aji
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.
