This diary is written by Aji and Wings.
One of the great advantages of the Kos Katalogue is that it provides both buyers and sellers a chance to do business with fellow liberals who support progressive values and causes. For artists, this is doubly significant: Like all else in life, art is inherently political. Oh, I know artists who insist that they are not involved in politics in any way, but scratch the surface of their work by more than a millimeter, and you'll find clear political statements, whether they're conscious of them or not.
In Wings's case, his art has always been political, even when he doesn't think of it in partisan terms. For Indians especially, our work — in any medium — is necessarily an expression of identity and culture (even among those who expressly reject slapping a "Native" label on any particular work; its absence tells its own story, whatever the context). But Wings will tell you himself that his own art is, and has always been, a soul-deep manifestation of his own identity as a Native man, both inspired and inspirited by his people's culture and history. In recent years, his work has become more overtly political, particularly on select fronts: his opposition to racism and other forms of bigotry, and to all forms of appropriation and cultural theft (as made clear yet again last Monday in his public statement, posted here as well as on his own site); his rejection of violence, particularly that directed toward women and children; his support for the health, harmony, and well-being of our peoples; and his support for the protection of Mother Earth. As an established artist in his own right, Wings has been afforded a platform to which many don't have access. Recently, he has renewed his intent to use that platform, to use his voice and reach as a Native artist, to press for positive change and growth on these and other fronts.
Of course, to do so, the lights must remain on and other obligations must be met, and so while it would be gratifying to be able to produce his art purely for its own sake, with no thought to having to sell it, it's impossible in today's economic environment. And so we're fortunate to have this opportunity to make his art available to people who share our personal and political values.
As many of you know, we upgraded Wings's Web site over the summer and relaunched it on a whole new platform. It's much larger, and far more flexible; we're able to provide better descriptions and better navigation for visitors. We've also been able to expand it far beyond its previous constraints. In addition to the wide array of art on offer, the site now includes The NDN Silver Blog, where I post daily. usually, it's an opportunity to feature a particular piece or set of pieces, but some days are built around themes, and it gives me an opportunity to showcase Native art in a breadth and depth not available to us before. We hope you'll visit it occasionally, and that it at least occasionally provides you with valuable information.
For now, as we head into the holidays, we have some new and very exciting pieces to show you, both Wings's own work and that of other Native artists whose work we carry. Over the jump, you'll find some incredible showpieces among his silverwork, examples of his photography (including work from his one-man show at the Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe this spring), and a host of work from other artists, including fetishes, leatherwork, pottery, sculpture, and other items, many of which are very modestly priced), as well as links to much more. And in the weeks to come, he'll have a variety of new work available, particularly smaller popular items like earrings.
Now, to the art:
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THE SILVERWORK
Some of the silverwork shown below comes from Wings's recent one-man show, although at least half of that collection has since sold. Those included here are among those that remain available for purchase. The first two items, however, are much more recent, and are showpieces that spent weeks in development and execution. They are two of his best yet, and i'm delighted to be able to show them here.
Much more silverwork is available on the web site beyond the limited number of pieces included here. In addition, he has more in various stages of completion on his workbench. Earrings are in particularly short supply right now, but he will have a substantial number of new pairs available within a couple of weeks (and we have several pairs of gemstone inlay earrings by an artisan from Kewa Pueblo, as well; I'll be happy to e-mail photos upon request).
Spirits In the Wind
Nature’s elemental powers assume tangible form in stone and silver. A fiery rosarita cabochon, precious gold given new form, sits atop a gigantic lapis oval, connected by a pair of hand-stamped silvery wings. All three interconnected pieces reveal more of their identities on the reverse in a tribute to the sacredness of the directions and their role in our emergence, in the sacred hoop of our very existence. The pendant hangs from a strand of graduated heishi-style jet beads strung over fine sterling silver chain, its bail flanked by two green Skystones with delicate black spiderweb matrices, its findings edged by a pair of silver and copper-colored trade-style beads on either side. Rosarita cabochon, 1-3/8″ high by 1″ across at widest point; lapis cabochon, 1.5″ wide by 1.25″ high; strand of beads, 19″ long; pendant including bail, 4″ long (dimensions approximate). Reverse shown below.
Sterling silver, rosarita (gold slag), lapis lazuli, green turquoise, jet, trade-style beads
$1,850 + shipping, handling, and insurance.
Messenger of Dawn
Sometimes, a piece of art transcends its intended purpose, becoming so much more than its basic function and the sum of its parts that it qualifies as a masterwork, a perfect melding of symbol and spirit. So it is with this necklace, a manifestation of Dragonfly: water spirit, protector, symbol of love, messenger of the spirits. Handcrafted of finely stamped sterling silver half-round wire, his shimmery wings textured by countless strikes of a tiny jeweler’s hammer, he arrives dressed in the colors of the Pueblo dawn. His body is formed from delicate rose quartz cabochons: seven of them, a number sacred to many peoples, and stones that some other traditions regard as the mineral embodiment of the qualities of peace and universal love. His amber eyes blaze with the fiery glow of the rising sun; he carries a glowing copper serpent on his back, traversing his wings (image shown below). He hangs from a hand-strung necklace of square-cut leopard-skin jasper beads in warm shades of rose and brick red and taupe and gray, tying all the hues together. The strand is backed by a series of copper-colored trade-style beads and terminating in a small series of old natural green turquoise “doughnut” beads with their own copper matrix. The dragonfly pendant is 2-5/8″ long from antennae to base and 2-7/16″ wide across the wingspan; the strand of beads is 17″ (dimensions approximate).
Sterling silver; rose quartz; amber; copper;leopard-skin jasper beads; trade-style beads; green turquoise beads
$1,500 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Peaks and Waters
Pueblo culture takes form in its stories of how the People came to be. Some of the most foundational, the most elemental, tell of our relationship to the natural world, the sacred peaks and waters so wholly a part of our collective being. Here, those stories assume tangible form in a cuff of heavy-gauge sterling silver triangle wire: Hand-stamped symbols representing the peaks resemble sacred lodges, and line either side of the band’s apex. Beneath, on either side, the tiniest of sacred hoops, themselves symbols of life, are grouped together in a repeating pattern symbolizing water, bringing life to the desert.
Sterling silver
$525 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Summer's Journey
The Corn Maidens and other female spirits evoke the sights and sounds and smells of Summer, with its lush and fertile greenery. In some traditions, Summer is a time of journeys, of pilgrimages, or simply of the travel associated with planting and growing cycles, all manifested in this heavy-gauge cuff bracelet.Hand-stamped symbols representing the Sacred Directions, possible paths on a journey, travel the length of the band and are topped by five matched round cabochons of soft green turquoise with a warm golden-white matrix. Tiny, evenly-spaced sacred hoops accent the band’s edges, while matched repeating sets of traditional symbols trace the inner band.
Sterling silver; Stone Mountain turquoise
$725 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Fire and Ice
In the interstices inhabited by the elemental powers, Spirit catalyzes fire and ice, bringing them to life in our world, their full strength and power yet held back: a reminder that if we are careful, we may use their gifts rather than be consumed by them. Here, Spirit’s Eye traces the length of the band of this heavy-gauge cuff, accented on all sides by traditional symbols. At the center, two fiery garnet cabochons flank three larger oval stones: snowflake obsidian, representations of ice born naturally of the union of earth and heat and flame. Companion piece to the Fire and Icesolitaire ring in the Rings Gallery.
Sterling silver; snowflake obsidian; garnet
$725 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Fire and Ice (companion piece):
In the interstices between worlds, the spirits and elemental forces afford us an occasional glimpse but do not admit us entry, lest we be consumed by their power. Yet Spirit catalyzes fire and ice, as in this solitaire, where earth and flame join to create a stone named for water frozen by the winter air. Conjoined lodge symbols trace the length of the band; the snowflake obsidian cabochon rests in a scalloped bezel. Top view shown below. Companion piece to the Fire and Ice cuff bracelet in the Bracelets Gallery.
Sterling silver; snowflake obsidian
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Adobe Rain
For more than a decade, Wings has paid tribute to the mud and vigas that make the village’s ancient homes with his signature series of Pueblo pins in the style of the Pueblo’s iconic architecture. Each pin is unique, yet each features the adobe walls and open windows, the hand-made pinevigas and traditional ladders, all manifested in sterling silver. Here, the ajouré pin with its meticulously-detailed stampwork is accented by a tiny turquoise cabochon: a deep robin’s-egg blue aswirl with an inky matrix, the color of the stormclouds that cool the dry village walls with much-needed rain.
Sterling silver; blue turquoise
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
THE PHOTOGRAPHY
Currently, Wings's photography is divided into two sections on the site. The first, images from his recent one-man show, are found within
the show's retrospective under "
Events." The second section is within the
Photography Gallery itself, and is currently devoted to an exploration of those spirits who are his namesake: The
Wingéd Ones, those who fly close to Spirit, who carry messages and prayers.
An example from each section is below. The first served as the opening image for his show:
STORIES
Our lives are lived in stories — and in stories.
Perhaps the first thing visitors to Taos Pueblo notice about our historic multi-level architecture is that it is multi-level — our ancestors, a thousand years ago, divided homes into stories in larger communal buildings.
In a way, each story is symbolic of the other kind of story: the little piece of our collective history written by each family, each inhabitant, of each of these stories made of earth and straw. If you look closely, you can see each individual piece of straw embedded in the adobe wall, each essential to the wall’s strength and cohesiveness and ability to stand, whole.
So, too, is each of our people: Individuals, with their own lives and histories and roles to play in our culture and in the historical narrative of our people. Each unique, each with his or her own story — and each essential to our strength and cohesiveness and ability to stand, whole.
Signed on white matting; brown wooden frame.
Size including frame: 17.75″ by 20.25″.
$625 + $100 shipping, handling, and insurance.
The second image is the first in his current series on those who fly:
HOPE
In the face of climate change and seasons’ change, of looming winter snows, still it burns like the fiery color of the monarch’s wings.
The urge to live, to pass on one’s spirit, to the future generations comes as naturally as flight to creatures delicate, endangered, and so wholly alive.
Soon there will be birth and rebirth, genesis and regenesis, creation and transformation.
And so, we are given the gift of one final possibility before the snows descend, bright orange wings against a turquoise sky: spiraling, beating, merging, melding into one, and stopping to rest just for one moment before carrying on with life in a cycle of endless possibility . . . of hope.
Ships signed and matted in a wood frame
$625 + $100 shipping, handling, and insurance
OTHER ARTISTS
POTTERY
Camille Bernal (Taos Pueblo)
Our most exciting new artist is Camille Bernal. She is Wings's niece, the eldest daughter of his beloved late brother Roy, and she now lives in her father's old home a quarter-mile down the road from us. She's an accomplished Pueblo potter, and one with a fiercely independent streak and strong sense of her own artistic identity. Rather than follow the crowd, she has struck off in a direction uniquely her own, melding traditional Pueblo styles (and an occasional bit of the local micaceous clay) with new motifs and images, creating something inextricably entwined with her cultural roots, yet new, exciting, and wholly hers. Her profile is posted here; below, I'll showcase a few of her pieces from across the spectrum of style and value, with links to her additional work in our inventory.
"Mountain Lion" Bowl
Mountain Lion makes an appearance at each of the Four Directions on this old-style square bowl, flared and flowing open into something new and wholly alive. By Camille Bernal (Taos Pueblo), the bowl is hand-coiled red clay, with a pale yet warm slip. Mountain Lion is painted petroglyph-style on each side in soft Laguna Blue-Gray outlined in red, his tail extended up over his back. Bowl stands 4″ high by 8″ across at the widest point, with a flared opening of 9.5″ across at the lip (dimensions approximate). Another view shown on the Web site.
Tewa clay; plant-based paints
$375 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
"Flowers and Checkerboards" Traditional-Style Pot
Camille Bernal (Taos Pueblo) creates a masterwork that blends old traditional shapes with contemporary expressions. Checkerboard patterns in warm red ochre arise and criss-cross like ancient paths from the base of the pot, their lines growing organically into the stems of gently-blooming flowers. Flower groupings are tipped in alternating Santo Domingo White, Laguna Blue-Gray, and charcoal shades. Stands 5″ high by 5.25″ across at the widest point, with a 2-7/8″ opening across the lip (dimensions approximate). Other views shown on the Web site.
Tewa clay; plant-based paints
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
"Scarab" Miniature Pot
At the Four Directions, tiny scarabs rest among delicate blue flowers on this miniature traditional-style pot by Camille Bernal. Hand-coiled of earthy red clay, the little pot bears a silky slip in an ivory shade, accented with scarabs and plant life in soft natural colors. Pot stands 2.25″ high by 2.75″ across at the widest point, with a 1.25″ opening across the lip (dimensions approximate). Another view shown on the Web site.
Tewa clay; plant-based paints
$125 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
Jessie Marcus (Taos Pueblo)
Jessie Marcus specializes in stylized version of the traditional Pueblo mugs, made from the local micaceous clay. Small mugs are sometimes used for ritual purposes, but Jessie gives them her own unique identity by molding a figure atop one side of the cup itself, and incising Pueblo imagery on its sculpted front:
Buffalo Dancer Mug
A buffalo dancer traces his steps in the plaza beneath a sky bisected by bolts of lightning. He emerges from the side of this hand-coiled traditional mug, created of local micaceous clay by Jessie Marcus (Taos Pueblo), his horned and maned headdress cascading down the exterior. The stormy skyscape of the plaza is incised by hand on the front. Stands 3.75″ high on the figurative side (dimensions approximate).
Micaceous clay
$125 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Grandmother Mug
Grandmother sings to the corn plants as she works, her head and voice rising from the side of this old-style handle-less mug. Brought forth from the body of this hand-coiled micaceous mug by Jessie Marcus (Taos Pueblo), she wears her hair tied back in the traditional bun, bangs on her forehead. The corn plants she nurtures are incised into the mug’s front. Stands 3.75″ high on figurative side (dimensions approximate).
Micaceous clay
$125 + shipping, handling, and insurance
SCULPTURE
Mike Schildt (Taos Pueblo)
Mike has been creating sculpture for us for a very long time. He specializes in large alabaster pieces, but a particular favorite is spiderweb alabaster. People often mistake it for horsehair pottery because of its brown webbed matrix in white stone, but it's alabaster, and i's spectacularly beautiful. Mike's most recent pieces for us are traditional bears, with an ever-so-slight nod in the direction of the Southwestern hump-backed style, each with turquoise inlay eyes and wonderfully expressive features and body language:
Spiderweb Alabaster Mother Bear
Mike Schildt (Taos Pueblo) has coaxed a fierce mother bear from a truly incredible block of stone. Made of spiderweb alabaster, it resembles horsehair pottery but is a naturally-occurring phenomenon, with a magical, mysterious matrix ranging from golden bronze to deepest brown shot throughout the smooth white stone. Mother Bear has turquoise inlay eyes and an expressive countenance. She stands 8-1/8" long by 4" high (dimensions approximate).
Spiderweb alabaster; Sleeping Beauty turquoise
$450 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Requires special handling due to weight nd fragility; extra shipping charges apply
Spiderweb Alabaster Bear Cub
This beautiful little bear cub is handcrafted by Mike Schildt (Taos Pueblo) of stunning spiderweb alabaster. The stone itself is smooth and cool, wintry white, with a bold yet delicate tracery of matrix ranging from bronze to deep chocolate brown. The juvenile bear, head tilted upward quizzically, has inlay eyes of Sleeping Beauty turquoise. Stands 6.5″ long by 4″ high (dimensions approximate0.
Spiderweb alabaster; Sleeping Beauty turquoise
$300 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Requires special handling due to weight nd fragility; extra shipping charges apply
Randy Roughface (Ponca)
Randy is the nephew of the late Carter Camp, a fellow Kossack beloved by both Wings and me. He's married to a woman from the Pueblo, and he's been carving pieces in his trademark vintage style for many years now. We have several items by Randy, including a gorgeous bronzed slate deer; a variety of Indian ponies; and a miniature buffalo. He recently brought us some new pieces, including two very special eagles:
Alabaster Eagle
Alabaster comes in a diverse array of colors and shades, sometimes several combined in one chunk of stone. The chunk of alabaster that here gives birth to Eagle is an example: Shades of bright orange and soft lime green swirled gently into white give the stone the appearance of sherbet. Rendered in a deliberately rough-hewn vintage style by Randy Roughface (Ponca) this strong and sturdy spirit bird perches upright, wings just beginning spread as though ready to take flight. Eagle stands 4" high by 2.5" across by 3" deep (dimensions approximate). Another view shown on the Web site.
White/orange/green alabaster
$155 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Pilar Slate Eagle
This vintage-style Eagle rises out of a chunk of Pilar slate to call to the spirits. Carved by Randy Roughface (Ponca), the finish is smooth like soapstone, an an unusually soft red color smudged with the more typical gray. Stands 4.5" high by 3" wide at base (dimensions approximate).
Pilar slate
$125 + shipping, handling, and insurance
FETISHES
In years past, we've offered sculpture and fetish carvings by the late Emerson Gomez, a master carver who was a distant cousin to Wings and one of his closest friends. Since he walked on, his young son and nephews have taken up his mantle, carving in similar styles. We currently have items in stock by two of Emerson's nephews, Jeremy and Justin Gomez. Fetishes and carved jewelry items appear on the Web site; here, I'll highlight three gorgeous little bears by Justin (Taos Pueblo):
Orange Alabaster Bear Fetish With Medicine Bird
t’s another perfect little hump-backed bear by Justin Gomez (Taos Pueblo), this time gazing skyward. This bear has been coaxed from boldly-striated orange alabaster with colors so intense that the lacy bands are nearly brick red, interspersed with lines of icy white. He stands firmly on a rough-cut slab of palest orange alabaster, beneath a medicine bundle of feathers, a shell bead, and a carved mother-of-pearl medicine bird. Including base, he stands 2.5″ long by 1-7/8″ high (dimensions approximate). Another view shown on the Web site.
Orange alabaster; feathers; shell bead bead; mother-of-pearl
$40 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Orange Alabaster Medicine Bear Fetish
This little hump-backed medicine bear by Justin Gomez (Taos Pueblo) is rendered in delicate orange alabaster, mottled with lacy striations that give it the look of orange sherbet. He stands firmly on a base of rough-cut orange alabaster, more translucent than the stone from which he has emerged, peering out beneath a medicine bundle of feathers and beads of stone and shell. Including base, he stands 2.75″ long by 1-7/8″ high (dimensions approximate). Another view shown on the Web site.
Orange alabaster; feathers; shell bead; hematite
$40 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Alabaster Bear Fetish
This perfect little hump-backed bear, carved out of dove-gray [white] alabaster by Justin Gomez (Taos Pueblo), fits perfectly into the palm of your hand. The stone from which he emerges is smoky and smooth, with a delicate tracery of fragile white lines in the matrix. He stands, calmly but alertly, atop a rough-cut base of translucent orange alabaster. Bear stands 2″ long by 1.75 high, including base (dimensions approximate).
Alabaster; orange alabaster
$35 + shipping, handling, and insurance
LEATHERWORK
Much of our leatherwork is all in the family: Wings's youngest sister, Nes, and her husband Daniel and son Estevan (all Taos Pueblo), are all highly skilled leatherworkers. Nes and Estevan make most of our baby moccasins. We currently have two pairs by each in stock (four pairs total). One by each artisan is shown below, as well as Nes's cool little cholla cactus keychains (don't worry; they've all been defanged):
These beautiful baby moccasins take the colors of the medicine wheel: white, yellow, red, black. Hand-sewn of lightweight white deerhide by Anespahnell Bernal Marcus (Taos Pueblo), each is beaded carefully by hand around the edge of the sole. Two bars of beadwork in traditional patterns in gold, dark red, and black accent the top of each moc. Sole length 4-3/8″ (dimensions approximate).
Deerhide; beads
$50 + shipping, handling, and insurance
These tiny little mocs are made of tan (and tanned) buckskin, of regular weight and with firm soles. Hand-sewn by Estevan Marcus (Taos Pueblo), they’re made with the classic tongue for on-and-off ease, laced traditionally around the ankle to tie in front. Sole length 4-3/8″ (dimensions approximate).
Buckskin
$50 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Keep your keys close at hand, secure on one of these unique little keychains by Anespahnell Bernal Marcus (Taos Pueblo). Made from lengths ofcholla cactus, harvested locally, each is thoroughly desfanged and smoothed. She then wraps them securely at both ends in tanned leather thongs. One end is attached to the ring with a loop; at the other, a bead channels the thongs into a pair of tassels. Some have a tiny nugget of turquoise embedded in an opening in the cholla. Length, bead color, and nugget availability vary. Lengths range between 3″ and 4″ long, not including tassels (dimensions approximate).
Cholla cactus, leather, beads, turquoise, metal ring
$25 each + shipping, handling, and insurance
TRADITIONAL WEAPONS
Last year, we highlighted a stunning bow-and-arrow set in a brain-tanned white buckskin quiver, made by Wings's brother-in-law, Daniel Marcus (Taos Pueblo). It's still available, but this time around, I want to highlight something newer, and much more modestly priced: Slingshots! They were the subject of last week's#ThrowbackThursday post at our blog, one of the more fun posts I've had the chance to write. They're made by Daniel with his son Estevan:
Slingshot #1
Daniel and Estevan Marcus (Taos Pueblo) created this slingshot in the old way: carved and whittled by hand from a branch of local wood and strung with sturdy rubberized bands knotted around a soft deerhide pocket. The Y-frame is hand-painted in vintage style, with repeating bands in the color of the local landscape — the soft green and gold and gray of chamisa and desert sage. Perfect for kids of all ages, including the fully-grown ones.
Wood, rubber, deerhide, paint
$35 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Slingshot #2
Give a young friend one of the traditional toys of childhood, or revisit your own, with this old-style slingshot. Crafted by hand by Daniel and Estevan Marcus (Taos Pueblo), the characteristic Y-frame is whittled from local wood. A flexible white deerhide pocket is tied to the frame with rubberized bands. Painted accents evoke the colors of the very Pueblo itself, the golden light of the sun, the warm red of the earth, and the turquoise sky.
Wood, rubber, deerhide, paint
$35 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Slingshot #3
Be a kid again, or give a little bit of childhood history to a young friend, with this traditional slingshot. Made by hand in the old way by Daniel and Estevan Marcus (Taos Pueblo), it’s fully functional: whittled by hand from a a natural Y-frame branch of local wood, with a soft white deerhide pocket tied on via two rubberized bands. The frame itself is accented vintage-style, with traditional patterns hand-painted in the turquoise and violet, the colors of the stormclouds over the Pueblo at sunset.
Wood, rubber, deerhide, paint
$35 + shipping, handling, and insurance
ADDITIONAL INVENTORY, INQUIRIES, ORDERS, COMMISSIONS, AND SECRET SANTAS
All this is, of course, only the very tip of the iceberg. We have so much more on the Web site, including full-sized sculpture by Ned Archuleta (Taos Pueblo) and Mark Swazo-Hinds (Tesuque Pueblo); high-end pottery by Juanita Suazo-DuBray and miniatures by Wilson Appa, Leticia Gomez, Olivia Martinez, and Bernadette Track (all Taos Pueblo); katsinam by Josh Aragon (Hopi/Laguna); storytellers (and a storyteller necklace!) by Aaron Mirabal (Taos Pueblo); paintings and other wall art by Frank Rain Leaf (Taos Pueblo) and a variety of other Native artists; and a host of other Native art in all sorts of media.
And there is so much more by Wings himself: accessories; bracelets; buckles; earrings; necklaces; pins; rings . . . and some truly amazing photography, images of the Pueblo itself from an insider's perspective, giving the public a personalized view unmatched elsewhere.
If you'd like to inquire about a particular piece, or about the possibility of commissioning something custom-made, please e-mail me at Ajijaakwe [at] gmail [dot] com, or simply use the embedded Contact form on our site. I'll do my best to answer your questions fully and promptly.
As should be clear from the above, Wings does accept commissions for custom-made pieces. However, we are heading directly into his busiest creative season, and custom works takes time. If you'd like to have a piece made to order especially for the winter holidays, please make arrangements with me as soon as possible. After roughly the first week of December, he will no longer be able to ensure completion and delivery in time for Christmas.
If you'd like to order an existing piece, we accept personal checks and money orders from all over the world, as well as VISA and MasterCard (no PayPal, please). Contact me as outlined above to place your order and make the necessary arrangements. A note about shipping, handling, and insurance: There is a minimum fee of $10 for shipping, handling, and insurance. Fees will be higher depending on cost of the item, size, weight, and fragility; the last three factors necessitate special handling. For most jewelry items, shipping/handling/insurance costs run from $10 to $15; for items in excess of $800, it can range from $20 to $30. For non-jewelry items, the costs are widely variable: Heavy sculpture, fragile pottery, and delicate katsinam are all examples of items that require special handling and incur extra charges.
Finally, we are charter participants in the Kos Katalogue Secret Santa program. If you'd like to be placed on the Secret Santa list for a particular item, or if you'd like to contribute to the purchase of an item for someone else, please contact me as outlined above.
We both hope that you find the new site and its offerings as much of a joy as we do. With halloween not yet here, it seems far too early to wish everyone a happy holiday season, so for now we'll wish you a happy autumn instead. In the meantime, we hope you'll use the social-media buttons at the bottom of Wings's main page and the individual item pages on his site to "Like" them on Facebook and share them via Twitter and other social media platforms.
Chi miigwech and ta'a from both of us.
~ Aji and Wings