Six new works by Wings!

Photo copyright Aji, 2019;
all rights reserved.

As promised, all new at NDN Silver:  six new works by Wings! Four of them are part of his newish bead necklace and earrings series, but as always, they're only coordinating, not a direct match, and they're sold individually rather than as sets. We'll get to those in a moment, though. First, we begin with the major work, a masterwork.

Shown above is the latest entry in Wings's long-running signature series, The Mona Lisa On the Río Grande. As always, these more-feminine-than-not spirits are each given their own name (and it's always been "[X] Spirit," something that represents its identity visually or symbolically). This one is Starlit Waters Spirit, and it's an exceptionally powerful piece; you can read the full description here. It's built around a glorious focal cabochon of Michigan native copper, absolutely breathtaking in its colors and beauty (and of cultural significance to my people). The traditional tablita headdress features freehand ajouré cutwork and freehand stampwork in radiant starlight and water imagery. The bead strand is a mix of sterling silver, ocean jasper, deep marbled green Kambaba jasper, and a great many very, very old, very, very valuable hand-made copper barrel beads. Whomever ultimately is lucky enough to get this? I hope, if you ever decide to sell it, you give me right of first refusal.

The second item contains some similar colors, and it'll look a little familiar to you. If you've checked the Earrings Gallery over the last couple of days, you might have wondered where a certain pair went. The answer is [half] right here:

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Yup, that's First Snowfall, now as a barrette. [The other half is in the process of becoming a cuff bracelet. It will likewise retain the same name, since they will be a coordinating pair of works, albeit sold separately.] Wings had been bothered, even since he created the earrings, by their weight. the more he looked at them, the more he saw other vintage-style pieces in them, and a couple of days ago, he began the process of transforming them into new works. You'll be able to see the cuff probably tomorrow or over the weekend; for now, you can read the barrette's full description here.

And yes, you're seeing a bit of a seasonal theme here, to be continued through the remaining works. You'll recall that I mentioned, in my recounting last week of what happened on our brief business trip to Santa Fe, that Wings acquired several strands of new beads, these of Indigenous African origin? Well, the next four works incorporate some of them. Here's the first entry from The Beaded Hoop Collection:

Photo copyright Aji, 2019;
all rights reserved.

This one is called, aptly enough, Changing Seasons, and you can read its full description here. It brings together earth in greens and browns, the fiery reds of the turning leaves, and a small rime of early snow. Those larger focal beads? Genuine hand-carved mahogany from Malawi.

And, of course, the coordinating earrings, found among The Standing Stones Collection, not a perfect match but utilizing some of the same materials and shades:

Photo copyright Aji, 2019;
all rights reserved.

These are called Turning Leaves, and they really do seem to turn, courtesy of those accordion-fluted mahogany spheres. You can read their full description here.

The other set-that's-not-a-set also incorporates seasonal imagery, courtesy of the bold shades of some hand-painted beads from Ghana:

Photo copyright Aji, 2019;
all rights reserved.

This necklace is called Night Frost, so named because the colors of the ceramic beads resemble frost upon October aspen leaves; the gold is the same shade. The white beads are bone from Kenya; the black wood ones are genuine ebony from Malawi. The other black beads are jet, and the polished reds and golds, mookaite. The full description is here.

And, last of all, we have another pair of bead earrings, this one to coordinate with the necklace immediately above:

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

This pair is called Early Frost, evoking the same shades and feel as the complementary necklace. These are made with ebony, the same hand-painted ceramic beads, and jet, and their description is here.

As always, you find Wings's full current inventory of traditional and contemporary Indigenous silverwork here (along with lots of other Native art). Also as always, inquire/order via the Contact form here.

And please share them all from the original links. We really need to make some sales. The holidays are now literally around the corner, and these would make truly spectacular gifts.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.