Hand Hammered Sterling Silver Four-Pointed Star Earrings by Jan Loco [SOLD]

Warm Springs Apache jewelry artist Jan Loco used a unique and laborious method to create texture on silver. To obtain the desired surface of a piece she would place a sheet of silver on a rock, and then repeatedly pound on the silver with another rock   Eventually, the small aberrations of the rock will be reflected on the silver. In addition, she used different grades of steel wool to achieve various textures. Inspired by imagery from her Apache heritage, her designs reflect the heavens, Apache legends, as well as plants and animals of the Southwest.

These earrings are in the shape of a four-pointed star.  They are stamped J. Loco.  Long before any understanding of their scientific significance emerged, the stars' association with the heavens turned them into symbols of the warfare between light, or spirit, and darkness, or material forces.  The exact meaning to the Apache culture is not known to us but is possibly of such forces.

These earrings are a match to a four-pointed star pin on our site.  Take a look.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Hand Hammered Sterling Silver Four-Pointed Star Earrings by Jan Loco is from the collection of an East Coast museum

Recommended Reading: American Indian Jewelry II: A-L, 1,800 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Relative Links: jewelry, Apache, Jan Loco, Apache Jeweler