Jade Turtle

The Jade Turtle has been ever present in my work since the very beginning. Over the years I have rendered it in a variety of ways. In this version I sought to create a more complex outline and a defined dorsal ridge. Sapphires were used to achieve this effect, as their inky glow  seemed a perfect match for the luminous quality of the carved jadeite. The warm yellow gold frames the stones and provides a stylized plastron on the underside.

The turtle is an intriguing subject to me for many reasons. They are paradoxical creatures – slow moving but long living, armored but shy. They move through water and over land with ease and display a natural geometry almost unparalleled among animals. For thousands of years and throughout many different cultures turtles have been depicted in art and sculpture, often times taking on mythological significance. The sum of all these factors is that turtles are an undeniably enigmatic presence in nature and will never cease to inspire me.