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Trade Beads and Artifact in Golden Colors

Written by Janet Walker · Leave a Comment

Yellow toned Trade Beads witth Bone Toggle Artifact

Trade Beads with Bone Toggle Artifact

Walker Goldsmiths purchased a treasure of Artifacts from a trader that included some marvelous ancient Arctic worked Bone and Ivory pieces. The pieces are fragments of bone and ivory that were used by the natives for practical everyday items such as sled runners, bundle toggles, fish spear points, harpoon valve and parts. These artifacts sometimes had carvings on them and often work worn scars. The items were made of bone, Walrus Ivory and even Mastodon Ivory. The Eskimo and Inuit Natives used and still use whatever is at hand for survival. I found it pretty exciting to examine these artifacts and with Owen’s Archeology experience we were able to determine what they were used for. There are some that are just fragments that are unidentifiable but they as still beautiful because they retain the spirit and energy of the human hands that formed them and the functions that they performed.

This Trade Bead Necklace, TBA45, has a Bone Toggle as the center pendant. The holes were all predrilled on the bone for use as a toggle so it fit perfect on this necklace. Time buried in the beach or ground has given it a wonderful golden patina. Can you imagine what bundles it cinched or packages it helped keep packed on a sled? It’s fun to picture the use of these artifacts. The age could be anywhere from a couple hundred years to a couple thousand years. It’s really difficult to determine the age of organic artifacts from the Arctic.

I choose yellows and golden beads to accent this Toggle. Bone and Ivory, Horn, Venetian Vaselines, Amber, yellow Gooseberries, Carnelian, and some brass beads all lend themselves well to the color of the Toggle. Most of these beads are all genuine previously traded beads from the 1800’s or earlier.

No two Trade Bead and Artifact Necklaces are the same because no two Artifacts are the same. Also each bead on these Necklaces are individual handmade works of art.

Walker Goldsmiths is selling this TBA45 for $250.00

Ancient Mastodon Lives On in Custom Necklace

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Handcarved Sterling Lovebirds Pendant by Owen Walker with Blue Russian and Mastodon Beads

Owen Walker’s Lovebirds Pendant with Blue Russian and Mastodon Beads TBA24

Walker Goldsmiths was able to buy some beautiful Mastodon Ivory Beads from a trader a while back so I decided to use them to create a Custom Trade Bead Necklace. The Mastodon Ivory came from ancient tusks unearthed by erosion in Russian Siberia.

I’ve always been crazy about Mastodon Ivory. The Ivory can be found in so many gorgeous colors because of the minerals in which it’s buried and also because it’s so very old. When Owen and I started out in our jewelry adventure back in 1970, I did scrimshaw on Ivory and Owen set it in Silver. To “scrimshaw”on Mastodon Ivory is a dream. The density and integrity of the ivory is magnificent. Colorful, dense, fine grained, and reeking with history.

“Scrimshaw is the name given to scrollwork, engravings, and carvings done on bone or ivory”. Check out Google or click here for more information on just what is scrimshaw.

Seattle, WA has just unearthed a huge Mastodon Tusk. An amazing experience that’s it’s got me thinking about the incredible beauty of Mastodon Ivory.

“Seattle paleontologists Friday, Feb,14, 2014, safely removed the largest fossilized mammoth tusk discovered in the region from a construction site, according to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. The fossil is probably a tusk from a Columbian mammoth, or Mammuthus Columbii, which was designated the Washington state fossil in 1998, according to a statement on the museum website.

Mastodon Tusk found in construction site in Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA Mastodon Tusk found

The tusk, 8 feet 6 inches long, appears to be the most intact and largest discovered in Seattle. The fossil was found about 7 feet below an apartment development site, the statement said. Burke paleontologists estimate that the tusk is at least 16,000 years old, but could be up to 60,000 years old.”

The colors of Blue Russian Trade Beads and Mastodon Ivory blend and complement each other so well. I also used Fossil Walrus Ivory Beads in the necklace to keep the cost down and lend an ambiance and history to the piece. Eskimo and Aleut hunters traded Walrus Ivory south to other native tribes where it was a highly valued trade article. Owen Walker’s handcarved Sterling Lovebirds pendant is the centerpiece on this necklace.

TBA24, Lovebirds Necklace with Mastodon and Walrus Ivory Beads. 20 inches in length. Sterling Silver Lovebirds Pendant, handcarved by Owen Walker.

Price…$600.

Pam’s Custom Dream Ring

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14kt yellow gold dream ring with 2ct diamond

14kt gold Dream Ring with 2ct diamond

Recycling old family jewelry is a favorite at Walker Goldsmiths. A longtime friend came to us with a little bag of jewelry that she had stashed for some time because she didn’t know what to do with it. Her mother had passed away leaving her with some jewelry that was not her “style”, she had some old rings that she didn’t like anymore, broken pendants, chains with various bits and pieces of precious stones and metal. Owen also repaired what Pam wanted repaired and sized rings to her satisfaction. One of the rings from her mothers estate was a gorgeous 2 carat diamond, but the setting was beyond gaudy by Pam’s standards. And nowhere could she sell it today and get the true value of it in return, plus she kinda’ liked it, as did her husband.

Pams gorgeous diamond ring

Pam came out to visit us one day so excited because she’d had a dream about a ring that she fell in love with, so we drew it up on paper. She went home and I proceeded to carve it in wax. I called her when I was done and she came out to see it and was so happy that it was just like in her dream! Owen cast it up in her 14kt yellow gold and set the diamond with the crown in the ring. We called her to tell her it was done and she and her husband came out to Walker Goldsmiths Studio to pick it up. She was so excited! And indeed it was her Custom Dream Ring come true. Thanks Pam for letting Walker Goldsmiths facilitate that dream for you!

Blue Russian Trade Beads and Dentalium Shell are a Classic Combination

Written by Janet Walker · 1 Comment

18 in. Blue Russians and Dentalium Necklace

TBA50 Russians and Dentalium Necklace 18 in.

Both Owen and I at Walker Goldsmiths are nuts about Trade Beads. We’ve been collecting, learning, trading and creating jewelry with trade beads for over 40 yrs. We’ve seriously focused on faceted Cobalt Blue Russians because we love the color and the history behind them. Owen’s archealogy professor, Dr. Garland Grabert, was a serious student of the North American Fur Trade and opened his eyes to them. Jane Grabert was my dear friend and we talked and studied trade beads often.

Faceted cobalt blue beads were probably made in Bohemia (Czechoslovakia) and first made their appearance in Russian America in the late 1700’s. The only mystery is how the Russians obtained them. Whatever the route, trade beads arrived in the Pacific Northwest in large quantity and were dubbed Russian Blues by the natives.

And guess what, they loved them! Beautiful cobalt blue, hand faceted, tubular glass trade beads were a desirable form of currency. Kind of like the Wampum of eastern North America . They range in size from approximately 10mm down to 5mm in length and some are slim and some are chunky. The larger the size of the bead and the darker the blue, the greater the value. At Fur Trade Rendezvous’, Pow-Wows and family gatherings these beads were desired and traded.

When Owen and I travel we always head to the museums on the lookout for these beads and we find them in regalia, and what we like to call “Feast Wear”. Used along with the faceted Russian Blues is often Dentalium shell. Dentalium are variously sized ocean mollusks that resemble miniature elephant tusks and may grow up to several inches in length. In the early days of the northwest, native Americans traded dentalium on strings 1 fathom long. They became a highly prized mark of wealth and status, typically displayed as ornaments on clothing, headdresses, as jewelry, and as a type of currency. The Nootka of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada were the biggest dentalium fishermen and responsible for the extensive trading up and down northwest America. Check out this page for a more complete story of dentalium.

Russian Blue Trade Beads with Dentalium Shell in 20 inch necklace with earrings

LN259 Dentalium and Russian Blue Trade Beads with Earrings

In these necklaces I’ve put Czech cobalt round glass beads to facilitate comfort and good movement of the necklace.

LN259 has some nice big Russians, 4 Dentalium Shells, a Sterling clasp and earwires and is about 20 inches long. It’s a pretty dramatic looking combination.

TBA50 also has some nice Russians and 2 Dentalium Shells with small Czech beads to reach to 18 inches, yet keep the price down and look beautiful.

TBA50 … 18 inch Blue Russian and Dentalium Necklace by Janet Walker … $250.

LN259 … 20 inch Blue Russian and Dentalium Necklace with earrings by Janet Walker @ Walkergoldsmiths.com … $ 375.

Brilliant Precious Gems on Potlatch Collection Birthstone Rings

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Walker Goldsmiths has often been asked to make a Birthstone Ring for a client and we love doing it. With the Christmas Season in 2013 we decided to make some Birthstone Rings using our elegant Potlatch Collection Ring designs and make them in 14kt yellow gold.

5mm Ruby on 14kt yellow Hummingbird Ring

Ruby on Hummingbird Ring

We made a beautiful little delicate Hummingbird design and set it with a .6 ct round Sri Lanka Ruby with excellent color and clarity. It’s a stunning stone set in a 6 prong crown. This ring sells for $ 1,297.00

Another creation was a 14kt Lovebirds ring. In this 14kt yellow gold ring we set a .6 ct Sri Lanka Sapphire. This incredible stone has excellent color and clarity, set in a 6 prong crown. Both the Ruby and the Sapphire have wonderful color and clarity – not a bit cloudy or heavily included. The Sapphire Lovebirds is selling for $ 1,230.00. See the Lovebirds story here.

14kt yellow gold Lovebirds with 5mm medium blue Sapphire

Raven and Eagle with Blue Sapphire

Hummingbirds are a favorite of ours here at Walker Goldsmiths Studio. Once we were privileged to have a sweet little Hummingbird momma build a nest in the cedar tree right outside of our Studio window! It was quite a treat. Read our story here.

Walker Goldsmiths has lots of Sapphires in various colors and would love to make you a Birthstone Ring.

A Custom Eagle Pendant was on the Christmas List

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Walker Goldsmiths had a heartfelt experience this past Christmas. Old friends came to us to help design and make a special Custom Pendant gift for their daughter. They had firm ideas about what they wanted and Walker Goldsmiths was able to execute it and elaborate it for them.

Walker Goldsmiths Custom Eagle Pendant with Amethysts

I could tell that they wanted to “tell” their daughter something special with this piece of jewelry. They recycled some old family jewelry toward the making of this pendant and it is meant to be a symbol of their love and hopes for their daughter. Louise defined her daughter as a very practical, earthy and well balanced girl. With her astrological sun sign in Cancer, her birthstone is a beautiful purple toned gemstone. We decided to lean towards the Amethyst purple color because it seemed so right for her. Amethyst is a gemstone deeply steeped in history and lore once only possible for royalty, the powerful and wealthy; one of the stones of choice used in the crowns of kings and queens. It is a beautiful and mysterious stone from the quartz family formed in the heat of the volcanic earth, beautiful and elegant in it’s variations of lilac to intense deep purple. Purple is the color of royalty. The anchor in this family’s life is their Christian faith and one of the important necessities of this pendant was to have a certain scripture reference on the back; Isaiah 40:31, “…they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Eagle Wax Carving for Custom Pendant by Janet Walker

So, this was to be a 14kt white gold Eagle Pendant. Louise liked the idea of the eagle carrying an Amethyst in her claws with Amethyst beads trailing down the sides of the chain to join the eagle. I drew a few eagle ideas and they chose which one appealed to them. I started carving the eagle to be a lost wax cast project and gathered up the Amethyst cabochon and beads. The challenge to me was to create an Eagle that was delicate enough to be worn by a lovely young woman and not look like a Biker Guy pendant! Really!!

Her folks liked the idea of an Eagle that had a realistic look to it with wings extended, so I created the wings to have cut outs to be lighter and more delicate and it worked. Making the Amethyst bead part of the necklace as feminine as possible and the crown for the Cabochon very ornate helped make this a very feminine necklace too. Louise emailed me, “Amy loves the necklace and has been wearing it non-stop since Christmas morning. As I suspected would happen, the other kids want something special too so we may be back next year :0)”

This is what we like to hear at Walker Goldsmiths. Thank you, Brian and Louise, for letting us be part of the Custom Pendant Christmas fun.

Photo of Eagle carrying Dinner for the Babies by Eric Walker

Eagle with Fish Dinner Photo by Eric Walker

Custom Hand Carved Surfing Eagle Money Clip Story Part 1

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Sterling Surfer Eagle Hand Carved Money Clip by Owen Walker

Hand Carved Surfer Eagle Sterling Money Clip by Owen Walker

Walker Goldsmiths has had a fun commission to work on this Christmas time. Owen was asked to custom hand carve a “Surfing Eagle” on a Money Clip! And, why a Surfing Eagle you may ask?

This money clip was made as a Christmas gift for a passionate California surfer. This fellow is marrying a Tlingit woman whose family is from Yakatat, Alaska. They are from the Raven side of the village and he has to be an Eagle. He has to have a Tlingit identity, so he is now named the “Surfing Eagle”. See the legend of the Lovebirds . Walker Goldsmiths and the fiance’s parents created a Tlingit identity for him with this Custom Hand Carved Money Clip. Stay tuned for further developments on this story. Native traditions and customs are always interesting!

Eric Walker Photo of Surfer Eagle

Design on an Heirloom China Plate becomes a Custom Memorial Pendant

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14 kt white gold Custom Memorial Pendant Designed from a China Plate pattern

Custom White Gold Memorial Pendant with a half carat diamond

A customer came to Walker Goldsmiths with a great idea for a Custom Pendant. This was a new idea that I thought would be very fun to create and make a reality. Her mother had recently passed away leaving her grandmother’s china to her. She’d always loved it as a child and young woman, but as time and use does to all things, pieces break and chip and loose their luster; but the romance is still there with some of the remaining pieces. It’s a lovely Noritake pattern of flowers and swirls. She’s also inherited her grandmothers and mothers gold rings and a gorgeous diamond. The rings are definitely not her style, but she really likes that diamond!

Jill came up with a great idea to make a Custom Memorial Pendant inspired by the pattern on her Grandmothers china recycling the gold and diamonds from her Grandmother and Mother’s jewelry. I particularly loved this challenge and it stirred my soul because I have a few pieces of a similar pattern of Noritake china that my grandmother gave me when I was leaving home as a young woman and, of course, it’s very special to me. So I can understand Jill’s affection for the pieces of china that she has left.

I photographed the plate that Jill brought out to Walker Goldsmiths’ Studio and proceeded to take the swirl design that runs along the edge of the plate and reduce it and shape it to create a pendant. Jill accepted the design and gave me the go-ahead. I started to carve the wax, as this would be a lost wax cast project. It was a trick to take that swirl design down to a reasonable size for a petite woman like Jill to wear and enjoy and not loose the integrity of the flowing swirl.

Photo of Custom Wax Carving of China Design

Custom Wax Carving of China Design for Memorial Pendant

We figured that 2 inches wide would be ideal with the .50 carat diamond setting in the apex of the swirl design. Jill approved the wax and the project went on to Owen who invested the wax then burned the wax out of the crucible. It’s always scarey for me at this point because if anything goes wrong in the casting I’m back to square one. Owen IS a Master Goldsmith, so all went well! He melted Jill’s grandmother’s ring and her mother’s ring, added more gold, adjusting the karat and color to white 14kt, and cast the pendant. Whew! All came out well. I proceeded to finish the casting and then Owen set the diamond in a 4 prong gold crown and after adding a chain…Wha-Laa! Thank you, Jill, for letting Walker Goldsmiths be involved in your lovely Custom Memorial Pendant.

14 kt Gold Custom Pendant designed from China Pattern

14kt White Gold Custom Memorial Pendant created from a design on heirloom China plate.

Custom Sweethearts Memorial Diamond Ring

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Walker Goldsmiths has had the privilege to make a Custom Sweethearts Memorial Diamond Ring for a young woman that we’ve known for quite a few years now. Kim has shown up at Walker Goldsmiths Studio now and again with jewelry to repair or redesign, or ideas for more rings. Kim is a ring wearer and a hard worker so her rings take a beating. We’ve been very willing to fix her up with repairs and diamond replacements or whatever the need may be. We’ve even bought stones and recycled metal from her in trade for work done. She’s very savvy in that respect.

14kt Gold and Diamonds Memorial Ring

We were all shocked and saddened when Kim’s husband died so very unexpectedly of a massive stroke. They were such sweethearts! And Kevin died way too young!! After a period of time of intense sorrow and regrouping Kim had to handle getting his things together to distribute to family…what to give away – what to keep…

Since Kim is such a ring lover she came upon the perfect way to memorialize Kevin in a close and personal way that is her style. Kim came to Walker Goldsmiths with his wedding ring and an old class ring, plus some odds and ends of gold and diamonds. She had sort of an idea of what she wanted this Memorial Ring to look like, so I drew some pictures and we talked until the right design sang to her heart. I then carved a wax of the entwined hearts with their initials in each heart that she envisioned. Hearts, especially the overlapping or entwined hearts are an ancient symbol that have become the icon for love and the human soul. Kim and Kevin were indeed soul mates and the heart shapes that she wanted on her ring symbolizes the love and affection that bound each other together.

Hearts and diamonds on a custom 14kt gold Memorial Ring

Custom 14kt Gold and Diamonds Memorial ring with initials

Owen Walker lost wax cast the Memorial Ring in her recycled 14kt yellow gold that was her husbands rings. Then 8 melee diamonds were hammer-set to strategically snuggle up to the hearts and Kim’s .30 diamond was set in a crown in the apex of the hearts. She now has a Custom Sweethearts Memorial Ring symbol of Kevin and their love and affection which binds them together to wear on her hand always. Thank you, Kim, for letting Walker Goldsmiths be a part of this lovely, yet sorrowful, process.

Custom Sterling CTR Emblem Ring

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Custom Sterling Emblem Ring with Swirls

Walker Goldsmiths has often been asked to make Custom Emblem Rings. They’re fun to do primarily because they’re so personal to the folks who want them. What are Emblem Rings you ask? Coats of Arms, Heraldic Badges, Initials, Symbols, and Seals are all emblems of something special to someone. What is a Seal? A seal is a device for making an impression in wax, clay, on paper or some other medium.

Cylinder seals were used from the 3rd millennium BC in Mesopotamia for authenticating the clay tablet documents. The ancient Greeks and Romans used a Signet ring for the same purpose. It was an ornate ring with a seal or signet carved into it, which could be used to press a seal onto a document; to seal a document closed by pressing the Signet Ring into hot wax and the impression left was a signature mark.

In this case the Emblem on this Custom Ring is the initials CTR, Choose The Right, a type of seal that when worn on a ring makes an impression on the mind of the wearer to choose the right in all things.

Holley’s Custom CTR Emblem Ring

We’ve known Holley and her family all her life and we’re proud to say that Walker Goldsmiths are their family jewelers! Holley’s Grandma called me to tell me that Holley’s birthday was coming up and she wanted to get a CTR ring for her as a gift and I said, “Sure, just send her down to talk to us and get her ring size right.” Sad to say Grandma passed away just shortly thereafter. Holley knew that Grandma wanted her to have a CTR Ring as a gift from her, so Holley came to us for a Custom CTR Ring and Holley had specific ideas about how she wanted it to look. She wanted it to be a fairly simple band and have a feminine look about it with swirls going up and down each side. So that’s what we did, Holley designed it, we made it how she wanted it and it looks great!

I called Holley to tell her that her ring was done and she came by Walker Goldsmiths’ Studio to pick it up. One sweet little scene that I’ll never forget was when Holley put on the Custom CTR Ring and it fit just right she lifted her eyes up to the ceiling and softly said, “Thank you, Grandma”. Yes, thank you, Shirley…