Aleut Talisman II With Opal

Sterling Silver - $90.00
14KT Solid Gold - $310.00

"No object is mysterious. The mystery is in your eye."

From a second visit digging in the Chaluka site on little Umnak Island in the eastern Aleutians we came across a series of old Talismans. Our Aleut Talisman II is designed after one of these. Even in its primitive state, it was intriguing, and it looked rather beautiful, even to our contemporary eye. It had probably been carefully cut and polished from an old piece of ivory, and it was still bound round by the remains of the dried tendon sheath its owner-Shaman had worn 5000 years ago. This Shaman had polished its face to enhance the naturally-occurring colors into a strikingly significant Talisman. We believe that the naturally occurring arrowhead shape represented the power necessary to hunt and make a life on this island so many thousands of years ago.

We reinterpreted this Talisman through a beautiful piece of polished 8000 year old Fossil Walrus Ivory which is colored Dark Brown at its edges, transitioning (with some thin dark rays) into a Latte color, and finally Gray Crystalline at its center. Both front, back and top of the Ivory show below and above the bezel of 14KT Yellow Gold. Two curved sweeping bars rise from the Ivory and frame one of our gorgeous blue/green opals for contrast between the primitive and modern times. Between the opal and the bail is a 14KT sphere. This is a strong modern interpretation of an altogether striking Talisman that you will love wearing. 1 1/2 inch high, 3/4 inch wide.

Of course, this is a one-of-a-kind piece is handcrafted in our studio.

Complete with gold-filled chain.