I’ve wanted to make a necklace like this since I began upland hunting, years ago. The wishbone you see here is actually a wishbone from a chukar that our dogs hunted by scent, pointed, Rob or I flushed and shot on the wing so we could eat it — most of you know we consume mostly (like 90%) wild meat here, meat we have gone out and worked hard for the chance to harvest from our public lands in Idaho (and also in New Mexico this year).
Anyway, if you ever wanted a simple yet elegant piece of jewelry that is truly of the West, this is it.
The spirit of the chukar is one of resilience, strength and endurance but he also has a heck of a sense of humor. My own spirit I attach to all the work I craft is one of independence, joy, curiosity, persistence, intensity, sensibility, whimsy and perhaps a pinch of “devil may care”. I can feel all of these things in this little sterling bone. It’s simply beautiful.
I’ve been calling this necklace the Chukar Eternal but I suppose it’s a part of the series of jewelry I have been working on for years that I have always called Honoring Remains. I have been wearing this necklace and while it’s beautiful on (the curves of this sterling wishbone echo the curves of my own wishbone, also known as the clavicle in the human body), it truly does hold a sense of the holy and echos the Voice that I hear when I am out on the land here — it is the wind, the sage, the spring creeks, the lava flow, the river, the snow, the lichen on the canyon walls, the clear blue sky, the squall, the very heartbeat of Idaho and my own heartbeat too, since this is as much my habitat as it is the habitat of the elk, mountain lion or chukar.
In short, it’s special.
I have run out of studio time and must help Rob haul the Airstream up to McCall to get settled for the summer but I will be offering these necklaces in the shop in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for them. I am also chipping away at getting a big batch of bison skull rings made for you. Things are coming, time is tight at the moment, I appreciate your patiences so much. I guess I just want you to know I am working hard for you and that these coming pieces are going to serve your beautiful souls so well!
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I wanted to also let you know, in brief, what this summer is going to look like for us:
The move to McCall for the fire season is a little move. We have been jimmy-rigging the Airstream this week with a kitchen set up, a wall table and we’ve been tearing our hair out when it comes to a bathroom plan. I don’t think I’ll have a place to shower this summer but I’ve lived in a few spots with Robert where I had to do my bathing and shampooing in rivers and lakes so I’m not stressed about it. I’m an old hand at this kind of stuff and being a little grubby never seems to hinder my twinkle.
I will be in McCall when Robert is in McCall — when he is not deployed on long-term fires or boosting other smokejumper bases. I will also be in McCall when the weather is very hot because the high elevation will be a lovely respite from the heat of the high desert.
I am NOT moving my studio this summer. Yay!!!
My studio will remain at the strawbale house here on the river. I will work in the studio when I am here at the strawbale house. I’m going to be coming and going all summer so I can tend my veggie garden here, make jewelry, pick up mail from the PO Box here and make sure the cat has kibbles in his auto-feeder.
When I am in McCall, I will not have WIFI service unless I am in a coffee shop. This means my ability to answer emails will grind to a bit of a halt this summer. Forgive me for that. When I do get a chance to do computer work, I will be taking a triage approach to my inboxes as I did last summer wherein I answer what is absolutely urgent and necessary. Once those emails are taken care of, I will carry on to less urgent emails. I am sorry, in advance, if you write and I fail to get back to you in a timely manner or if I fail to respond at all! I always feel awful about my inability to keep up with the email inbox which gets especially backed up in the summer months.
I do hope to do at least one shop update a month over the course of the fire season. I have many beautiful ideas in my heart right now that I cannot wait to work on!
If you pass through Boise or McCall on your travels this summer please give me a holler! I’d love to go swimming or fishing or iced tea sipping with you!
Ok. I think that’s it. Oh, I’m going to post a giveaway here and another on my Instagram account tomorrow so stay tuned for that!
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