We're
very excited to now carry the work of award-winning Chickasaw
designer
Kristen Dorsey. From the runways of LA Fashion Week to the pages of British Vogue, Dorsey's pieces are celebrated throughout the contemporary jewelry world.
Kristen Dorsey. From the runways of LA Fashion Week to the pages of British Vogue, Dorsey's pieces are celebrated throughout the contemporary jewelry world.
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Each
style Dorsey designs falls under a larger Native Southeastern or
Chickasaw theme, as she takes specific cultural references and
abstracts them into beautiful new images.
The
sky serpent cuff is part of her Schokmalli' Collection. Schokmalli'
means lightening in Chickasaw, and this collection explores celestial
themes in stunning forms of jewelry. For the cuff, she creates a cloud-like formation of individually textured scales representing the sky serpent, a powerful deity who controls lightening, wind and rain.
Dorsey
based a series of earring and pendant designs on the
Banner stone, a ceremonial object from southeastern Native cultures
whose functional use was related to spear throwing. The shape of the
shell inlay in the earrings is inspired by ancient bannerstones,
which are perfectly symmetrical and balanced, representing the
duality of the sky
world and the underwater world.
world and the underwater world.
Other
sources of inspiration stem from ancient shell gorgets and from spirals
found incised on ancient Chickasaw pottery.
Dorsey creates adornment infused with Chickasaw history. She uses metalworking methods derived from ancient Southeastern relief work, an intricate process of repoussé and chasing, and she uses traditional materials including shell, copper and bronze. Conscious of her legacy, she works only with materials that are environmentally friendly and ethically sourced, built by hand, conflict free or recycled.
She describes, "Working with these processes, materials, and imagery connects me to my ancestors. I firmly believe that culture is never lost, but rather forgotten, and creating art is a way to remember. I strive to create timeless jewelry rooted within tradition while remaining relevant to contemporary fashion."
We look forward to learning more about Kristen and where her inspiration comes from, as we continue to admire her impressive designs!
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