Description
Cuttlefish cast sterling silver necklace, 7 x 3.8cm horizontal focal piece, on sterling silver snake chain
Note – sterling silver snake chain measures 1.6mm X 47cm long, including horizontal focal piece. Customised length available (price on application). Combined weight of pendant and chain = 65 grams
In December 2008 Fred Peters introduced a jewellery range created by casting sterling silver in cuttlefish bone collected from Kangaroo Island’s beaches. These delicate pieces reflect the natural beauty of the island environment and the critters Fred shares it with. A myriad of creatures comprise the marine ecosystems here on the island – such as the leafy seadragon Phycodurus eques. This intriguing animal is South Australia’s marine emblem, found only from Kangaroo Island to southern Western Australia.
In Fred’s own words:
“Close study helps you appreciate the adaptability of such a delicate-looking creature for camouflage. It is extraordinarily beautiful and ridiculously complex, almost invisible amongst the underwater vegetation. It is in many ways, still a mystery. The animal’s complexity presents a major challenge: I carved the body in cuttlefish bone and cast it in silver – quite an old method, now generally restricted to southern Australia, since only the southern giant cuttlefish has a bone sufficienly large for the purpose. The leaves are fabricated in sheet silver, giving the body bulk and texture, whilst the leaves appear light and fragile.
After the casting I return the top and tail of the bones to the beach and add the smaller bits to the garden to help retain water.”
Watch the video below to see the iconic Leafy Seadragon swimming free in the waters off Kangaroo Island -it’s easy to see why Fred has been inspired to capture this amazing creature in several of his sterling silver jewellery pieces, from this Leafy Seadragon necklace to the smaller leafy necklace and the delicate Leafy Seadragon earrings, all available for purchase in the online store.
Shipping weight and dimensions for the Leafy Seadragon Necklace are listed under Additional Information.
