Janet Walker Using Lost Wax Method
Our past newsletters have been talking about lost wax casting with the focus on Custom Rings. We also lost wax cast Sterling Silver Earrings and Pendants. They are the foundation of our ‘Potlatch Collection’ The casting process for the earrings and pendants pushes the limits of lost wax casting because they are big enough to be flashy yet light enough to be wearable. Silver both conducts and looses heat faster than any other metal, so because it cools so fast it’s difficult to cast something as small and light as an earring. Yet, with years of trial and error, Owen has developed our own successful technique.
What is a Potlatch? The lavish celebration of the Potlatch was a commemoration of an important event in the lives of Northwest Coast Indians.
Swivel Display
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 $50.00 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 ear-wires.
Retail Display: 20” x 12” w/ swivel base
(Retail shops: contact us for information about the complete set with counter-top display)
Beaver Earrings
Bear Earrings
Hummingbird Earrings
