Brisings' Mantle (back), 2003 Photo: Gina Rymarcsuk

In this body of work, my objective was to make beautiful, evocative, and wearable forms, referencing mythology while meaningful in contemporary culture Archaic clothing informed the overall shape and scale of the work, while the content was drawn directly from medieval manuscripts.* The pieces were literally built from seven obscure textual passages that obliquely mention a mythical necklace. These passages were photo etched onto the metal: the sheet functioning as vellum, the forms as books. Using the literary device of a story within a story, or in this case, stories of a necklace within a necklace, jewelry's historic function as "portable wealth' is acknowledged. The value is the story itself.

*Sourcves: Thrymskvida, Gylfaginning, Skaldskaparmal, Husdrapa, Haustlong, Sorla Thattr, and BVeowulf.

Brisings' Mantle, 2003 silver, steel cable 19 x 12 x 4" Photo: Doug Yaple