Silver Cloud Jewelry—Fossilized Walrus Carved Ivory Earrings

”There was a star riding through clouds one night, and I said to the star, ‘Consume me’.” – Virginia Woolf

Clouds are firm fixtures in the art world, providing inspiration for every medium from painting to sculpture and textile design. The soft and fluffy cumulus cloud inspired this pair of cloud earrings, which also feature a sun-like center of rich fossilized walrus ivory. The cumulus cloud hangs low in the sky, a familiar comfort but also a promise of more dynamic weather. Cumulus clouds often evolve into the wilder and more precipitous clouds we associate with changing meteorological patterns.

The sterling silver cloud forms in these earrings are worked with intricate detailing, giving this pair an updated take on a more traditional Victorian aesthetic. These earrings are light and made with precise attention to every nuance from the ivory setting to the fine patterning.

The center of these cloud earrings is made from hand carved fossilized walrus ivory, an ancient material some 500-3,000 years old that has spent centuries buried in the earth where it accretes its range of warm hues. Fossilized walrus ivory comes to us in every shade from soft cream to deep cocoa, though our designers tend to select the more mid-range and warmer colored specimens.

This treasured ivory is a valuable addition to fine art pieces and jewelry pieces across the world, as well as a valuable resource to the Native Alaskan populations who gather it for carving, sale, and trade.