I Never Liked Spring

I Never Liked Spring
Necklace, 2018.
Sterling silver, vitreous enamel, original poem.
Hand fabricated, torch fired, etched.

The inspiration for this one-of-a-kind pendant necklace was a walk in the fog. It had snowed in early Spring, and a warm snap caused a cloak of mist to settle among the trees. I walked in the heavy air, so dense it made my breath sound like that of a stranger. Moving shapes emerged and I found myself among a herd of deer; they slipped around me on invisible legs, horns soft as wings against the swirling ether. I froze, I held my breath, and they paid no mind to my presence. I wondered if we were ghosts.

I call this piece, "I Never Liked Spring." The front of the pendant features an original sgraffito photo illustration on enameled steel; I created it using a variety of techniques to add and remove black pigment to enameled steel, and then heating it with a torch until the pigment fuses with the metal. The enamel is set into a solid sterling silver bezel and minimal backplate that has been patinated and hand burnished many times to bring the sterling silver to a deep black color.

The back of the pendant is etched with my original poem:

When you left, I secretly followed
the single path of your footprints.

The last snow staggered a dance
and I stood as you spread the space between us
and I wondered for only a moment
where you were going.

I turned back in delicate step,
careful to leave your each
white goodbye
intact.

–Teresa Kiplinger

This piece was featured in Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine. Learn more here.
Read more of my writing in my journal.