There is a very amazing story that is attached to this creation that I will have to share soon... In short, the design was direclty inspired from the Turquoise...like that was what I was suppose to do...
Also there is a feeling of deep calmness that comes from this piece. Here is the story...
THE FIND OF THE MAASAI BOY STORY.
Before I start on any design involving a stone, I am used to stare at the stone and revue in my head what design I am about to create for it. As I was holding this beautiful Turquoise Cabochon I had purchase in a Gem Show last year, I thought of water, maybe a fish on top, a salmon, a swimming trout? Something from the sea for a bail, a simple design probably. Then since I couldn’t make up my mind and nothing clicked… I decided to ask the stone! “By the way…What would YOU like?” I sat there meditating quietly and waiting for an answer. After a little while the image of boys jumping over round boulders came in. A Maasai boy holding a spear kept insisting in my mind’s eye. Well, I thought, that is just my luck, I don’t know how to draw a Maasai boy, it won’t work for this project anyway, it would be too tall and what else do you have? Nothing else came. The stone had spoken… “ Figure it out!” Now in a rare conversation with the stone, I said: “Well if that is what you really want, you’ll have to help me then!”
I took my Pentel pencil and pad and started drawing the Maasai Boy as you see it on the pendant; no changes were made even though I know nothing about Maasai boys…
I transferred the drawing, after reducing it a little, on my Argentium Sterling Silver sheet and started cutting the motif with my jeweler’s hand saw, soldered a back sheet that went under the stone, made the Fine Silver bezel for the Turquoise and debated for a long time whether to use red feathers as well somewhere, as the though kept creeping in, but then it would have taken away from the stone and the bail with the boy.
I prefer simplicity: “Sorry stone, I also have an opinion!” I decided to use 14KY gold for the tip of the spear and at the base of the bail and one more solid gold ball in the center on the bottom of the piece that draws you gaze right into the piece. I am happy with the result and I have to say that a feeling of calmness and gratitude came over me when the project was complete like: “Hey, thanks for asking, I have been waiting a very long time for this…”
It may seem farfetched to you but what if in ancient times the stone and the boy were inseparable after he found it in it’s raw form, playing around boulders with other boys, way before the cabochon you see now was shaped and sold and made it’s way to me, why else would this image been so eagerly demanding to be shown…
