Aerie

The osprey — Pandion haliaetus — is one of the most widely distributed birds of prey on earth. It has existed, unchanged, for approximately 11 million years. It survived every mass extinction. It survives the specific modern problem of habitat loss by building its nest higher: on power pylons, cell towers, the highest points of artificial structures never intended as habitat. It adapts the available environment to its requirements. It does not move to accommodate others.

Aerie is the word for a bird of prey's nest, always built at height. The name applies both to the nest itself and to the quality of thinking that builds at elevation — above the complications of ground level, with the full view. The pale blue enamel flower in the osprey's talons is not prey. It is a choice the bird made, at altitude, before returning. Something carried deliberately from the distance back to the center.

This pendant is for the woman who has built at height and knows the view from there. Not a metaphor — a description of a particular position in a room.

Full casting in platinum-enhanced sterling silver. The wingspan is 65mm — this is a piece that requires physical presence to hold its intention. Each primary feather is individually cast from a separate model and joined to the body assembly, giving the wing surface its characteristic three-dimensional texture that cannot be achieved in a single pour. The powder blue enamel flower is cold-enamel, applied to a separately cast flower base and set in the osprey's talons. Chain: platinum-enhanced sterling silver, solid box link, 20 inches to allow the pendant to rest mid-chest at its correct position.