Cicada Bolo
Royston Ribbon turquoise
Coral
Sterling silver - reclaimed
Brass - repurposed
Who loves 'em - those bulbous, noise, freaky looking insects? We do! We do!
Cicadas have always been a favorite of mine. My daughter was a little intimidated by their loud ways. She asked me once when she heard one, "Is that the bug that shakes its butt?" Now she has a dead one by her bed... cute!
So, yeah, they have some meaning and I felt inspired to make one when my friend, Dave, released his new book, Cicada Madness. There are so many impressive things to learn about Cicadas and a lot of that information is in Dave's book.
This bolo is about 2" in length. It's made from thick gauge sterling silver. Sawed the best way I know how and colored in with some very pretty stones. The tips are made from repurposed bullet casings and reclaimed sterling silver accents. I love love love this one!
Note to buyer: The reclaiming process is a bit of a long one. Most of the sterling silver I buy is from well used jewelry that isn't being worn anymore or has been broken. I also buy used sterling silverware. I melt it all down and roll it into sheet and wire. This means that I don't have to buy freshly mined silver that is much easier to work with. Reclaimed pieces cost more because of this extra process. In the end, reclaiming metal for my wares is gratifying and worth it to me. I hope you feel the same. With love.