Wide 2" Raven Steals the Sun Hand Carved Overlay Cuff Northwest Native Bracelet

Description

This bold 2" wide cuff has been painstakingly carved by First Nations jeweler, Kelvin Thompson. Created using two large pieces of sterling, the top layer was engraved and pierced and then soldered onto the other piece of textured and oxidized metal. It is a true cuff that is sure to be a show-stopper. It is 6" long and will fit a wrist between 6 1/4" and 6 1/2" in circumference. This Pacific Northwest Native bracelet represents the
Raven Stealing the Light
myth:
At the beginning of time, the whole world was dark. The reason for this blackness had to do with an old man in a house by one of the largest rivers on Earth, who had a box, which contained a box, which contained a box, which contained an infinite number of boxes, each nestled in a box slightly larger than itself until finally there was a box so small all it could contain was all the light in the universe. The old man hid the light because he was afraid to see whether or not his daughter was ugly. In a ploy to steal the light, Raven shrunk himself to become a hemlock needle in a basket of drinking water so that the daughter swallowed him. Soon, Raven was reborn from her as a raven/human child. The old man accepted him as a grandson, and soon Raven began begging that he open the boxes, one after another, each time pleading and crying until the old man succumbed. When the old man finally opened the box containing the light, Raven grabbed it and flew out of the house, causing light to spread throughout the world and revealing that the old man's daughter as beautiful - beautiful as the fronds of a hemlock tree. This legend represents creation and transition.
Kelvin carves jewellery in silver and gold, but also creates bowls and masks from alder, maple and cedar. In 1979, he studied under and worked with Barry and Derek Wilson at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre, and in 1980 carved a totem pole with Henry Robinson for the Friendship Centre. He has been adopted into Henry's Haisla family. From oxidizing to intricate cut-out work, Kelvin is always experimenting and trying new things with his jewellery. In addition, he has taught many artists how to carve in silver and gold, and he is passionate about passing skills and information on to younger carvers. From September, 2007 to February, 2008 Kelvin aided Kwakwaka’wakw/Haida artist Dan Wallace in teaching the first annual Northwest Coast Jewellery Arts Program, which was held at Vancouver’s Native Education College. In 2009, Kelvin was commissioned to engrave five cuff bracelets for James Taylor, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Elton John, and Vicki Gabereau for the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation fundraiser 'An Evening with Diana Krall'.
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