The Spell of the Swamp Bolo
What a truly one of a kind bolo tie paying homage to The Swamp. The base form of this Bolo is all hand fabricated out of sterling silver, showcasing a large, stunning, multicolored piece of Lousiana Petrified Palm Wood, set in a 14k gold bezel. Underneath the stone, an alligator tooth I've found in my many explorations of the swamp, is set in a serrated bezel, framed by two fine silver pieces of flora from a cypress tree, collected while canoing out on Lake Maurepas. A trinity of handformed sterling details edge the flora. A fine silver crescent shaped arch made of the ridges of an alligators back crown the stone. Cypress trees, a close relative to the redwood, are also one of the most resilient trees, impervious to rot and insects, sending out roots at length and upwards to hold their balance. They withstand so much, and cover the swamp as great protectors. I will do my best to honor their efforts. This whole piece encapsulates the flora and the fauna of the swamp, and truly is a perfect talisman of its magic.
The pendant holds a hand formed and stamped sterling Bolo slider on its reverse, and slides on a 36” black leather roped bolo lanyard, with stamped sterling silver caps.
The pendant measures 2 3/8" tall and 1 5/8" wide.
The pendant weighs 1.52oz (43g).
Damaged Goods - A Collection Divided
I am beyond pleased to finally begin unveiling my new works, a full collection of one of a kinds, in four parts. Likened to, and symbolizing the four elements: earth, air, fire and water; there will be collection correlating to each: The Forest, The Swamp, The Desert, and The Ocean. Which brings me to the title of this release, “Damaged Goods”. I started attempting to learn a new skill set three summers ago, and drew up the base of this collection then, but when I returned home to New Orleans I found myself deep in the darkest chapter of my life. Lots of intense trauma, and just a need for survival overpowered any ability to creatively focus on new directions. I had spent a long while attempting to keep all of my plates spinning, but many dropped. I’ve spent the last year and half very seriously working to properly mend those broken plates, which I’ve related on more than one occasion to the Japanese pottery technique of Kintsugi, the art of repairing cracks and damage with gold - to add to its beauty, strength, and value. Which is something I genuinely believe in: when someone actively works at healing their wounds, their trauma becomes growth, understanding, and more value. I wanted to use returning to this collection as a form of healing, so I applied these metaphors and techniques into my original drawings, and I adore the shape its taken. They maintain the integrity of being a true talisman of nature, made directly from materials I’ve found myself, be it the textures I use in the metal pieces or in the stones and shells I set, but also, each piece will contain that metaphor of gold bonds woven throughout to bring the wearer’s life more strength, growth, and value. I hope you treasure wearing these pieces as much I have making them.