Louise sat at her workbench, the warm desert wind drifting through the open studio window. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows, turning Pusch Ridge into waves of pink gold. She traced her fingers over a piece of turquoise, its veins like tiny rivers, and felt a spark of inspiration—an image of a Desert Goddess rising in her mind. The turquoise was very special because it was faceted.
So she gathered some silver that she had etched with a shaman pattern and created a shield. It was finished with a layer of gold and it spoke of the desert’s spirit—the fire of the sun, the cool mystery twilight, the resilience of life thriving in arid lands.
As she shaped the silver centerpiece, she envisioned the goddess herself: strong, timeless, a whisper of ancient power woven into the earth. The necklace came together like a dream—silver links were shaped like long thin bars and riveted together with gold escutcheon pins that looked like tiny stars in a twilight sky, feathers embraced her neck to represent honor, the turquoise resting at its head, as if holding the desert’s soul.
When she clasped it around her neck, something stirred within her. A pulse of energy, as if the desert itself had reached out to embrace her. The weight of the piece was grounding, yet it made her feel weightless, as if she could command attention, as if she could summon the wind with a glance.
She felt powerful. Rooted. Timeless. She knew she had to make more.
The Desert Goddess series consisted of 9 pieces. This was the first on made that I kept for myself.
