Riding the Wind Necklace
A statement piece. I took the basic shapes of the birds from Frankish brooches at the Met Museum. I’ve visited these birds for years but not known what to do with them until I came up with the chick in the egg as the pendant. They were worn in pairs in the late 6th century, so my birds are also paired: 9 facing left and 9 facing right as they fly towards the chick in the egg. Sterling silver necklace with 15 tourmaline and 5 lapis lazuli cabochons, and a clear topaz on the pendant. The bird beads make up a strand that is 22 inches with a 1 7/8" extension. The birds' average size is .89" x .5" x .133". The chick in the egg pendant is 1.02" x .84" x .287". The topaz is 34.45 carats and measures 29.14mm x 20.14mm x 7.63mm. The bird cabs are 3mm-3.4mm; 2.5 carats tourmaline and .75 carats for the lapis. There's an inscription on the back of the birds which reads, 'Soaring over the valleys and ravines through the wide open expanse of sky like a bird riding the wind.' There are necklaces wi