Abalone

18K Yellow Gold, Abalone shell, Repousse, Chased, Engraved, Textured
2013

“As kids, we chased after butterflies (Monarch, Painted Lady, Swallowtails, etc.) despite an elder telling us they were once considered ‘souls of dead.’ Of course, we were too young to pay attention to that concept, but with the passage of time, my memories of all those beautiful Lalag°ada (butterfly) tugged at my ‘muse.’

Traditionally, a Lalag°ada meant different things to different Pacific Northwest Coast groups: companion, messenger, savior, supernatural spirit. To me, it’s a pleasant memory from a less complicated time.”

-Lyle Wilson, 2016