All the different angles on the work.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Once again I'm leading with an image related to last night's last post, because I was not expecting to have another new work by Wings yesterday, and going up that late means it doesn't get the traction it should. It's an extraordinary piece, particularly the freehand stampwork that covers the entire convex upper surface of the band. That cobalt blue lapis is pretty amazing, too. Its gallery entry is here, and do scroll down and see all the different angles on the work.

Speaking of angles on the work, that applies in every other context, too. And it's endless. I get one task done, and three others pop up in its place. This week is going to be a mess, because in addition to everything I have to get done, there's my own medical stuff (expensive, that), and the cement on Wings's temporary dental work disintegrated right in his mouth last night, so we'll have to be back in there a lot sooner than anticipated. That's the better part of two workdays unavailable. 

And I have to worry constantly about how to meet all the tax installments and medical bills still to come.

Meanwhile, Wings is still cranking out new inventory when he can, but he's suddenly having to be much more mindful of what he creates, given the crisis-level spike in silver prices. As I said earlier, we just learned that both silver suppliers in this state have more than tripled their silver prices (for some types of silver, much more), which has left me pretty badly shaken. And it's across the board; even small things, like findings and earring wires and backs, have gone way, way up. He's got enough for now to do what he needs to do, but nothing's going to change anytime soon, given that the justifications for it will be "supply-chain issues," "fuel prices," "war in Ukraine," and "inflation"; these prices are here for the foreseeable future. It's going to put a lot of Native smiths and jewelers completely out of business, and to make sure that Wings does not become one of them, I have GOT to make some sales. That's especially true with the holidays coming; these silver spikes are going to make this fall a crisis point for a lot of jewelers. Unfortunately, I'm being hobbled by everything else, not least of which is this flare that is making the progression in my illness much worse: numbness, contractures, crippling pain, another side effect that has forced me to discontinue my lupus meds entirely (dangerously low BG, and now I'm getting the muscle-contracture effects of doing without it). I'm going to need help to do this. All the links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priority is first and foremost, the other ladder; also sheets);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before late next year at the earliest, and this year's tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.