Description
Description:
Shane Hendren has just been voted Artist of the Year, by the same organization where he’s active in protecting authentic Native American arts from overseas and home-grown fraud. A few other hats he wears are: college graduate, active rodeo bull roper, and horse trainer. Oh, he also regularly creates prize-winning jewelry, like this exquisite pendant! With a stunning array of chasing, chiseling, stamping, and other hand work techniques, this pendant glitters with high polish and judiciously rounded elements. The pendant is somewhat convex, so the silver everywhere catches and reflects the light, brilliantly.Rolled borders brightly glisten, next to a narrow band of chiseled texture that contrasts elegantly. A shining little dome of silver, at each corner of this slightly curved triangle, repeats the glitter of the rolled border. Emerging from each of these brilliant little domes, is a lightly etched couple of feathers. These are joined by a barely visible line that follows the shield shape, adding another, very subtle, bit of texture.The bail is integral with the pendant; a matching border of minuscule chisel-work edges it, with beautifully chased scrolls on both sides, culminating in a floral design at the very top. Usually, bails are ignored, treated perfunctorily, but this bail is as magnificent as the rest of the piece. And then we come to the centerpiece.Raised above the rest of the pendant, is a cup-shaped, fairy-tale flower with a 14-karat gold center. The petals of this fabulous blossom are dark, coppery brown, with swirls of silver showing through. This is the difficult technique called “mokume gane”, after the historic Japanese method of hammering two metals together, as seen in old samurai swords. A similar technique, called “Damascene” was used on medieval and renaissance European weaponry.Although the center of the flower is flat, the gold shimmers with light, bringing the dazzling luster of the silver into the very center of the piece.; completing the composition. And, there is even more!The reverse of the pendant is plain silver, but stamped in a pattern of half-flowers and leaves, with part of a sun at the bottom left. With the decorated bail, you could wear this pendant on this side, or just keep it as a secret to yourself.
Medium:
Sterling Silver, Copper, 14k Gold
Dimensions:
Width: 1 1/4″ Height: 2 1/8″
