Here are three sterling silver overlay pendants that are my first pieces since returning to jewelry. I call the design “Tsa-la-gi Ghost Feathers;” Tsa-la-gi is Cherokee in the Cherokee language. My catch drawer has acquired a respectable pile of scrap silver from false starts and mistakes, most of which can be attributed to my having to learn to solder with oxy/propane in place of my old air/acetylene torch. I used a matte finish on them, and will put them on handmade chains as soon as I make some, having found that the skills to make them are not like riding a bicycle. I welcome any comments, questions, critiques, or criticism that anyone might care to post.
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Those pieces look great. Going from air/acetylene to O2/propane has its learning curve but, at least for me, it allowed me more control as I started to work on smaller and finer pieces. What torch are you using? Show us the finished pieces when you get the chains done. Good luck…Rob
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Thanks Rob. I’m using a Meco Midget. There is definitely a learning curve. Now and then it goes just the way it should and I get to see how it will be when I gain mastery of it.
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Looking good! I especially love how you handled the bail!
Jeff
Good luck…Rob
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Good to see you back in the saddle, Michael! I agree with Jeff on the bail, it is really nice that it harmonizes with the design on the front and has its little curves and point. I love it that, at this time in history, you are referencing a Cherokee word, but using a technique that historically was more done by the Hopi. Drawing on the whole family of tribes of your indigenous ancestors, as I would see it. Those feathers all different, but stylistically related…so graceful! Let us see more when you have more to show!
-royjohn
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Thanks for the kind words Jeff, Rob, and royjohn. Although the origins of silversmithing among the Cherokee date back to the time of the Spaniards, unfortunately it did not continue. I would like nothing better than to run across another Cherokee silversmith, but as far as I know, there are none and have been none for several hundred years. If I’m lucky I’ll be proved wrong one of these days. The result is that I have been heavily influenced by Navajo, Hopi, and Papago silversmiths. I have used a couple of Cherokee basket designs in a few pieces, namely the ones known as “Stairway to Heaven,” and “Chief’s Daughter,” but most of the basket designs are, at best, of limited use.
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