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Eagle represents one of the two principle clans of the North West Coast peoples and as elsewhere in the world eagles are respected for their strength and acrobatic flying abilities. There are many many eagle stories most of which involve villages or individuals being saved from certain destruction by benevolent and courageous eagles. The greatest mark of respect and welcome is to lightly shower your guests with eagle down as they sit down in your house.

Hand-carved Sterling Silver Eagle Bracelet by Owen Walker, 1.25 inch width.

Strand of approximately 1 inch long, 6 layer red, white and blue antique Chevron Trade Beads made of glass canes by the Murano, Venetian or Bohemian Glass Industry in the 16th century.

About 20 years ago our friend, Scott Jensen, called us up and said, “Hey, come on, there’s a NW Mountainman Rondezvous out at Jarman’s Prairie!” So we all drove out there, winding thru the hills and areas of Skagit County that I really didn’t even know existed. This beautiful private place of great history of pioneer Blanket Bill Jarman is very appropriate for a Mountainman Rendezvous. A comfortable amount of people attending in full backwoods regalia were pacing off the black powder shooting course and setting up their camps and shops. We had a lot of fun wandering around. Owen, of course, was very interested in the gun aspect of it all since he collects black powder rifles, and I zoomed in on the beads. There was a woman there who collected and sold trade beads for costuming. Ah hah! The light went on! There’s more to these guy-gun shows than guns and looking at the handsome men!

Collection of blue and green chevron trade beads made of clusters of glass canes by the Murano, Venetian or Bohemian glass industry in the 16th century.

One of my best trade bead “scores” was made at the Cascade Mountainmen’s Annual Muzzle Loading Arms and Pioneer Craft Show in Monroe, WA. I spotted a couple of young men with a table of odds and ends for sale; walking sticks, badges, old steel knives, old postcards, old spurs and harnesses, some old costume jewelry and one strand of big dirty old striped beads. I knew immediately what they were despite the dirt! And they were so cheap!! I bought them and crowed all the way home…CHEVRONS. It was quite a job to clean them up too.

I’ve since found chevrons in other colors, but none at such a great “score”.

The Chevron, also called the Rosetta bead is made by the arrangement of three or more colors in usually six layers. Stringers or colored canes are spaced between each other in the round so that viewing from the end of the bead forms a star or flower-like shape. These beads I found were rich dark blue, opaque brick red and opaque white. Chevron beads were made at Murano, Italy from the early part of the 16th century. These that I bought are very old! The famous 1971 Arizona Highways Magazine Bead edition tell us that the Chevron was used in North Africa as a weight on the ends of camel saddle blankets and it’s possible that these beads found their way into the Southwest American continent by way of Beale’s camel corps from 1857 to 1861. I’ve seen pictures of their use on horse tack and costumes.

Grandmother Eagle cast Sterling Pendant with Abalone inlay strung with Chevrons, blue Russians, and Hudson's Bay White Heart trade beads with hand-carved Sterling feathers.

The gorgeous huge old Chevrons just ached to be made into something special and powerful so I made a Legend Necklace called Grandmother Eagle with them. I carved the wax for the Eagle Pendant and Owen cast it in Sterling and inlaid Abalone shell. I designed the Sterling feathers and Owen cut them out and engraved the “feathering” on them. Earrings too.

Custom Maori design wedding bands

Have you ever thought about wearing a custom wedding ring that reflects the real you? Many people have come to us feeling like they’ve been stuck wearing someone else’s wedding rings.  The one they bought or were given really isn’t something they’re happy with and the thought of wearing it all their lives is not an exciting idea, or the ones they are looking at in the Jewelry stores leaves them cold.  We can easily and happily fix that for you.  Let us work with you to produce the custom wedding rings that are the real you.

Surfers wedding bands with surf and mountain designs with moonstone

Do you really want a custom engagement ring made for your fiancé that represents the sand dunes and surf where you first fell in love?  Maybe you would even like to have a part in designing this ring so a little part of your spirit is in this design, or as a couple you would like to design rings together to represent a meaningful experience for just you two.  There are many reasons why some people want custom made jewelry; some are just because they want one-of-a-kind and some are because the jewelry then carries special meaning to them.  This is the essence of custom jewelry; emotionally important pieces of jewelry that reflects the real YOU.

14kt wedding band with collection of family diamonds

How do you go about getting the custom rings that you want? Owen and Janet Walker are Walker Goldsmiths and we’ve been helping people with their one-of-a-kind designs and making custom jewelry for over 30 years.  We enjoy this process very much and want you to also.  We are with you every step of the way and will even provide a CD of pictures to you of the process of your custom piece of jewelry if you desire.  You can be any place in the world and it can all be accomplished via email.  30 years in the custom jewelry business personally designing and making many different styles of jewelry has given us insight into what works; what’s durable for your life.  We are not going to talk you into something totally stupid or even let you buy something that isn’t workable or cost effective. Getting custom jewelry made with us is easier than you think.

18kt Northwest design Chickadee Ring with .50 Blue Sapphire

You can expect;

• To be a part of your jewelry process,
• Wear designs that are really “you”,
• Have a hand in the design,
• Be happy with the custom jewelry you wear.

We enjoy photographing the process and emailing pictures to you all along the way to make sure we are communicating and achieving your goal. You will have a custom piece of jewelry, made from your idea or design, that we were privileged to make a reality for you.  Contact us now and let’s communicate about a project for you.

Written by Janet Walker, Goldsmith, Graphic Designer and co-owner with husband, Owen, of Walker Goldsmiths;  specialists in custom wedding rings.  Contact us via our website www.walkergoldsmiths.com and see some of our Northwest Coast Handmade art.  Email; owen@walkergoldsmiths.com

Momma Bear

Have you ever seen a bear in the wild?  Be it a Black Bear or Grizzly, they all seem to have such a sense of purpose.  Bears are always going somewhere or searching for something, even if it’s just a good place to take a nap.

I’ve been fortunate to see black bears in the Cascade Mts. of Washington State and the Rocky Mountains in North Idaho.  Their power and agility always shocks and amazes me and brings me up short to stay alert in the woods.  The black bear in the Cascades ran across the road and up a 30 foot, 60 degree incline in less than a minute.

I was driving a car full of kids and screeched on the brakes with kids rolling down the windows and getting a real treat out of the experience when it hit me that if he could go up that fast how fast could he come down!!  The black bear in North Idaho was also going mighty fast.  I noticed it was a cub and knew that we’d better get out of there before his momma realized that we were between him and her.  We went elsewhere to get our huckleberries, but really stayed alert.  Bears love huckleberries too!

Owen and I drove the Alcan Highway in the early summer of 2007 all the way to Palmer, Alaska.  What a joy to see all the wild flowers and wild life!  It was my first time up the Alcan Highway and I loved every minute of the journey.  It was like driving through a zoo with all the wild life we were able to see.  I’d never before seen so many bears in the wild.  We brought along our tent thinking that if we couldn’t get a hotel or hostel we’d camp.  Well, that thought went right away when we came to the Laird River Hot Springs in British Columbia, Canada, where we thought we’d camp first.  Driving down into the area we could see the incredibly beautiful campground with lots of comfortable looking sites.  There were quite a few folks in campers and a few tents.  Everything was green and crisp and inviting. Right before we were to take the road in we looked to the left of the highway and here was a huge hungry momma Grizzly bear with twin cubs grazing on dandelion seed pods and making their way toward the campgrounds.  We just drove right on by!  And that was to be the story of the whole trip.  Bears everywhere!  Big hungry bears everywhere!

Little Bear Cub

Just coming over the mountain pass beyond Haines Junction, AK we saw the biggest Grizzly momma with a cub.  If one wanted to see a bear spring into action this was the opportunity.  They were all so sweetly munching on dandelion seed pods on the side of the highway; we had pulled over to photo and see their beauty, when momma heard something off in the woods.  Males are dangerous to cubs at this time of year.  She sprung up to her full height of about 8 feet and lunged forward to get a better look – all in the flash of an eye.  This was no slow moving, lumbering wandering animal.  This was keen agility, incredible power, fierce protection of her cubs, totally focused and purposeful, quintessential Momma Bear!  So, of course, we never used our tent and yes, we always found very reasonable hotel or hostel rooms.  We had a really great time looking for bears!

When we came home from our travels I was compelled to make this brooch;

Bear Mother Brooch

This is the ancestor Matriarch of the Grizzly Bear clan. The story appears at it’s best in the Tsimsian form under the name of Rhpisunt, a young woman of high rank who, because of her offense of ridiculing bears was kidnapped by a Grizzly while she was following a trail on a mountainside. This princess was captured by Bears while picking berries with her girlfriends. She was carried to the Bear’s Lodge, where to her amazement they removed their bear suits. She fell in love and married the Bear Chief’s son and bore him twin sons, from whom all Bear Clan People are descended.  She is depicted here with her twin cubs.

Hand-cast Sterling Silver Mother Bear brooch with Abalone inlay by Janet Walker.  Brooch comes with an attachment for also wearing as a pendant.  Size is approx. 1.75 inch x 1.25 inch.

And this is the Sterling Bear ring;  The Indians of the Pacific Northwest believed that before the first people were created the world was inhabited by the animals and the birds who lived and acted as people. In some tribes, the most powerful of these people were the bears. In today’s world the Bear represents one of the last true symbols of the natural world. For those of us who claim Bear as our totem, we must remember not to be reclusive, and to come out of the den. The world needs us. We are Chiefs, Alpha, mighty hunters, protectors, Momma and Daddy, cubs, and we can’t forget Teddy Bears!

Sterling Silver Bear Ring

The Bear ring is a substantial carving; 16mm wide, 6mm high, very 3-D, tapering to a 5mm squared shank. Hollowed underside and squared shank create a well-balanced, comfortable ring.  Available in sizes 6 to 15.Hand-cast lost wax, Sterling Silver Bear ring by Janet Walker.

Owen has a story about a bear and some huckleberries that I’ll let him tell you about.  He also has some great Bear bracelets!

Both items are available for secure purchase on our Osprey Line Page.

The Eagle is prominent in many stories all over the Northwest and is generally a benefactor to mankind. This Eagle is dancing to summon her magic powers, which she used to save the young eagles of her village from a sea monster, Giant Clam.

One day long ago, as the chief’s nephew was wading in the water at low tide, his feet were caught by the Giant Monster Clam, who began to swallow him. An Eagle flew down and grasped him by the shoulders to pull him up but began to be pulled under also. The tide was swiftly rising. In answer to their cries, more and more eagles flew down and grabbed hold of the trapped man, to no avail as they were all being pulled down by the monster clam. Finally the Matriarch of the Eagles heard their cries for help and used her magic power dance to overcome the monster, and pulled all the eagles and their human friend, who became the ancestor of the Eagle Clan, to safety.

What is a Potlatch? The lavish celebration of the “Potlatch” was a commemoration of an important event in the lives of Northwest Coast Indians. Whether the occasion was a birth, death, marriage, inheritance, the giving of property, a name, or privilege, the host demonstrated his wealth by presenting gifts to each person who was then an official witness. Common among such gifts would be decorative art pieces, wood and stone carvings, ornate basketry, household goods, and jewelry of copper, iron, silver and gold.

We created the Potlatch Collection because of our own northwest roots, and our love of the country, climate and the culture. Jewelry remains the perfect way to celebrate today’s special events, and our original pieces are true to traditions of Northwest Coast Indian myth and legend.


The Potlatch Collection includes 10 different designs of earrings and pendants that retail for $40.00 each; Bear, Beaver, Eagle, Frog, Hummingbird, Orca, Raven, Salmon, Whale & Wolf. The Sterling Pendants come with an 18 in. Sterling chain and the Earrings have Sterling Shepherd hook earwires.

20” x 12” w/ swivel base
(Retail shops: contact us for information about the complete set with countertop display)

Owen has a never to be forgotten wonderful memory of the singing wolves from his youth in Alaska. A song that is indelibly printed on the soul and a sound like no other! Such spirit and loyalty as the Wolf is a good totem to wear and to surround one’s self. These little sterling creatures have a gorgeous tail to flash and whip about in a manner only a cheerful wolf could do. Wolves being the epitome of the wild spirit could also lend the wearer a bit of potential excitement to a day. Why not?!

We called this lovely little Wolf the Timber Wolf just to differentiate him from the other Wolf bracelets that we do. Every thing that lives on the North West Coast lives in the timber or in the water as there just isn’t any other place. When Owen lived in the far north he loved to sing with the wolves and to the wolves. When it gets real cold, -40 and lower, it gets so quiet you would think you could hear a dropped coin for miles, those are the nights the wolves would sing across the Matanuska and up the Knik valley. Owen loved to hike out in the river flats and would sing back and forth until his voice gave out or they decided he wasn’t that good of a singer and would stop.
These are Handcarved Wolf Earrings by Owen Walker.

This Alpha Wolf is laying curled up with his chin on his tail, but very much awake and watchful.

Wolves are labeled as friendly, social, and highly intelligent with a strong and loyal sense of family. Rituals are important to wolves, and those who have a Wolf Totem are also keen on traditions in their lives. Traditions can lovingly teach us the path to health, happiness and true freedom of spirit.

This is a big and sculptural ring, very 3 dimentional, 20mm high, 15mm wide tapering to a 6 mm wide squared shank. Hollowed underside and squared shank create a well-balanced, comfortable ring. Available in sizes 6 to 15.

These are cast Sterling Wolf earrings.

Northwest Indian Hand Carved CEDAR BOXES were originally created to store precious items. We all have different techniques to keep our precious supplies and food storage. The natives of the Northwest Coast have for centuries used hand carved cedar boxes; some are carved and painted with intricate family crests or designs of significance and some are painted or plain.

Decorated boxes were very important items, but no matter how intricate or decorated the box, it can never be as important as the supplies it contains – often food or family/clan regalia. The food storage would mean physical survival of course, but the regalia meant you were connected to people who loved you and whom you wanted in your life and defined who you are, thus emotional survival.

The Stonington Gallery in Seattle, WA had a show with the theme “Carved Boxes” and as metal smiths we came at it from that direction. My passion for Lost Wax Cast Sculptural Rings made my dreams of carved boxes just jump with ideas.

We had been experiencing a lot of rain living in the Great North Wet and flood is always a possibility. We live on an old village site on a peninsula and we have to cross the Nooksack River to get to our home and Studio. I had been reading about Universal Flood Myths when the Gallery invitation came so it just fell into place. The Old Spirits of the Northwest and the trials they lived through just came to mind and the Bentwood Box ring was birthed.

This beautiful carved bentwood box, maybe half full of dried Salmon, floating down the river, got away from the people in the flood that took out the village.
Now it could be the Nass River, or the Frazier, or the Skykomish at flood stage, bringing a big mess and taking the carefully wind dried precious lot of Salmon… Another name for this ring is Tschmous, meaning living snag, i.e. sunken log. We created this ring in response to a challenge to create a representation of a carved bentwood box… We imagined a village after a flood with a box of dried salmon floating downstream, waterlogged, with only one carved corner sticking up, floating by waiting to be found. Whoever can see and then catch it will be a hero to the people, physically and emotionally.

The Box Ring, # 307, is a substantial sculptural carving; 9mm high, 18mm wide, very 3-D, tapering to 5mm squared shank.
Hollowed underside and squared shank create a well-balanced, comfortable ring.
Available in sizes 6 to 15.

Hand-cast lost wax, Sterling Silver Bentwood Box ring by Janet Walker.

(Handcarved Hummingbird Bracelet by Owen Walker)

Hummingbirds are messengers between the spirit world and the physical world. When we see and hear these beautiful little creatures, we can feel joy in our souls and rejoice with them to the pure essence of life. These little masters of flight eat tiny bugs and flower nectar. What a sweet dinner they have. When we see Hummingbird, it reminds us to savor the sweetness in our own lives. We had the privilege of watching a hummingbird build a nest and raise three young ones just three feet from our studio window. Not only did we feel incredibly blessed to have her as part of our family, but we learned a great deal about hummingbird’s diet and life cycle.

(This Picture was taken of the hummingbird through our Studio window by our friend and excellent photographer, Sharon Eva Grainger)

One of the interesting aspects of watching this Hummingbird mother was her nest building techniques. It was early spring and we hadn’t washed the salt spray and spider nests from the window casings yet. This little female Hummingbird flew from window to window gathering these sticky spider nests and collected lichen from the fence posts and Alder trees. Then combining this all together created the most beautiful little nest the size of a 50 cent piece on the top of a branch in the Cedar tree right out side our Studio window. We were so amazed to watch her lay her 3 tiny little eggs and sit on them until they hatched 2 weeks later.

(Handcarved Little Hummingbird Bracelet by Owen Walker)

Another fun thing to watch was the baby’s escape from the nest. They don’t stand on the edge and flap their wings continually and build up strength and bravery as the young Eagles do. One day when they’re all too fat and big to fit in the nest they just get up on the edge and jump off! They flap like mad and almost touch the ground and bob up and down in altitude until they make it back up to the branches around the nest. They don’t really go back to the nest because at this point they don’t fit. Mom rushes around the gardens and trees collecting tiny bugs and nectar and feeding them all as fast as she can while they tweet madly about their hunger and traumatic experience!

(Handcarved Hummingbird Earrings by Owen Walker)

They hung around the garden for a few weeks getting bigger and stronger on nectar and bugs until they flew off to their destiny. We were so amazed to actually watch the process first hand and to see just how many bugs a tiny hummingbird will eat, especially mosquitoes and gnats. We saw them return the next year to the spot where we had a feeder hung that year of their birth. We hurried up and hung up the feeder, amazed at their memory, to keep them around in hopes of that nesting happening again but it never did. What a joy that was to experience!

(Little Hummingbird Earrings and Pendant)