Petit Blueberries

November 15, 2023

Just in time for the holidays, we have new jewelry!  The Petite Blueberry Earrings and Brooch are our latest additions to the Silver Seasons collection, designed by Michael Michaud and handcrafted in the USA.  The petite blueberries are made from cast glass, and are smaller than the lapis lazuli berries in the Blueberry Earrings.

Valentine Gift Ideas

January 24, 2020

If you are grasping for an idea this Valentine’s Day, we’ve got you covered. We have plenty of beautiful jewelry that you can find on our website.

Below are three of our most popular items. Pick one, or all three!

 

Heathergems Heart Pendant and Earring Set. Made in Scotland.

 

 

Lovebirds Necklet, by Odin Lonning, made in USA

 

Lovebirds Earrings in Sterling Silver. Designed by Tlingit Odin Lonning, made in USA.

 

 

 

Occulture Artist: Dorothy Napangardi

March 29, 2019

The following description is for the artwork designed by Dorothy Napangardi, who was a Warlpiri speaking Indigenous Australian from Alice Springs. Her artwork is featured on our Women’s Dreaming pendant and Women’s Dreaming earrings.

The country associated with this Jukurrpa is Mina Mina, a place far to the west of Yuendumu, which is significant to Napangardi/Japanangka men. All of them are custodians of the Jukurrpa that created that area.

The Jukurrpa story tells of the journey of a group of women of all ages who traveled to the east gathering food, collecting “ngalyipi”, snake vine (Tinospora Smilacina) and performing ceremonies as they traveled. The women began their journey at Mina Mina where “karlangu” digging sticks emerged from the ground. Taking these implements, the women traveled east far beyond the Walpiri boundaries creating Janyinki and other sites.

The Ngalyipi vine grows up the trunks and limbs of the “kurrkara”. (Allocasuarina Decaisneana desert oak trees.)

Ngalyipi is a sacred vine that has many uses. It can be used as a ceremonial wrap, as a strap to carry “parrajas” — wooden bowls that are laden with bush tucker — and as a tourniquet for headaches.

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

Occulture Jewelry

 

Julie Nangala Robertson

November 21, 2018

We are pleased to feature an additional artist in the Occulture line.

Julie Nangala Robertson is one of five daughters born in Yuendumu in 1973 to well-known Telstra Award winning artist, Dorothy Napangardi (Dec 2013). Since the late 1990’s, while often in the company of her talented mother, Julie has pursued and developed a creative visual language of her own, one which consists of a fascinating blend of stylised experimentation and ancient narrative.

Usually an aerial perspective along with a more recently and established distinctive monochromatic pallette, Julie’s current paintings (which depict the topographical features of her traditional country at the site of Pirlinyanu) have become works of extraordinary optical brilliance as she alternates the size of dots throughout her work as well as building up specific shapes or reference points often repeated with overdotting.

Julie has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu, since 2007. She paints her mother’s Jukurrpa stories, stories that have been passed down to her by her mother and all the mothers before them for millennia. Her work has been included in numerous collections and exhibitions of Aboriginal Art in both Australia and overseas.

All artwork featured in the Occulture jewelry is licensed and royalties are paid directly to the individual artist. For more information about Julie Nangala Robertson and her artwork please visit warlu.com.

 

Water Dreaming Pendant by Julie Nangala Robertson

Water Dreaming Bracelet by Julie Nangala Robertson

 

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Occulture

 

 

 

Celtic Rings Now in White Gold

September 7, 2018

David’s Welsh heritage was proudly displayed at David Morgan. Customers in the store could look at the Welsh flag which hung over the door. Street signs and posters also decorated the walls. One sign said, in Welsh, “Drink Welsh milk, not English beer.” David was a Welsh separatist, and had many books on the topic.

This influenced David and Dorothy’s buying decisions over the years. Many Welsh items such as the Nursing Shawl are long gone. Our jewelry, however, remains. David Morgan uses the Celtic design tradition as a part of its jewelry. Many of our Celtic rings have always been available in gold. Now we are proud to say that most Celtic rings are available in white gold. Our customers have asked for this option and we are now able to do it. The white gold also applies to the Kalgoorie rings.

Kalgoorlie Anniversary Ring

Kalgoorlie Anniversary Ring

 

Gold Trinity Ring

Gold Trinity Ring

 

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Celtic Jewelry

 

 

 

Arkeria Rose Armstrong, Willie Creek Painter

July 20, 2018

Our Willie Creek jewelry is based on a painting by Arkeria Rose Armstrong. Arkeria is an artist from Gamilaraay, (an area in New South Wales and Southern Queensland.) She was born in Ceduna, South Australia in 1988.

Art has always been a part of Arkeria’s life. Her middle name comes from her late grandmother Rose Fernando. Rose was a Gamilaraay Elder and one of the last sand painters in northern New South Wales and her special nickname for Arkeria was “Lilly-Rose”. She had a significant influence on Arkeria, both in her daily life and now years later in her art.

Arkeria credits her grandmother and her mother for encouraging her to develop a strong connection to culture and a strong personal identity. From the age of 7 to 18 years Arkeria travelled and lived in outback Australia with her family due to her father’s job as a gold prospector. “Having the time to learn in quiet spaces in some of Australia’s most picturesque country was a blessing”, Arkeria says of the experience.

Painting with acrylic allows Arkeria to use a range of colours which represents her country, the stories and the knowledge. Her grandfather, Don Briggs, a Yorta Yorta Elder is another person who strongly influences her. Don is also an artist and he has taken on a mentoring role with her as well as supporting her to have confidence to paint “her way”.

Arkeria currently resides in Bendigo, Victoria.

Willie Creek Necklace

Willie Creek Bracelet

Willie Creek Earrings

 

Source: Aboriginal Art Australia

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Occulture Jewelry

 

 

 

 

 

Add Some Flair to Your Wedding

June 29, 2018

Bolo Ties for Groomsmen

 

We recently made a set of five bolo ties for the groomsmen in a wedding. Bolo ties are often seen as a western accessory, but in this case, the slides featured the Immortal Strength design, which is part of our Celtic collection.

Looking closely, you can see the Triskele in the center, which symbolizes not only the Trinity, but also the mind, body and spirit. Surrounding the Triskele are four knotted symbols. In many ancient philosophies, the number four represents the physical world. Three and four combined is often the unification of spirit and matter. It is through this unity that strength emerges. What a marvelous symbol for a wedding!

 

Immortal Strength Bolo Slide

 

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Bolo Slides

Celtic Art and Lore

 

 

Good News for Sea Turtles

September 22, 2017

There is good news for sea turtles. A comprehensive study of sea turtle nests around the world found a significant increase in turtle numbers. Over the past 16 years, counts were taken at sites that included Australia, Africa, Asia and North and South America. Scientists studied 299 nesting areas and found significant increases at 95 sites and decreases at 35 sites. It is a success story for conservation efforts.

The reasons for the increase includes the protection of eggs, females and a reduced bycatch. There is still much to worry about, however. There are still decreases in some areas, and some of the traditional nesting sites are disappearing.

You can read the whole article here.

 

Sea Turtle Necklet, Sterling Silver. Designed by Cavin Richie, made in USA.

 

Sea Turtle Earrings, Bronze. Designed by Cavin Richie, made in USA

 

July 1st, Repeal of Proscription

June 23, 2017

July 1st celebrates the repeal of Proscription. In 1746, after the Battle of Culloden, the Parliament of Great Britain enacted Proscription to assimilate the Scottish Highlands. The Dress Act was part of this Act and made wearing the Highland Dress illegal. No Scot was allowed to wear their clan’s tartan or kilt. Over thirty years later, on July 1st 1782, the Proscription Act was repealed and Scots could once again display their tartans.

If you have Scottish ancestry, this is your day to proudly wear your clan’s tartan.

 

 

The Vibrancy of Northwest Art

May 19, 2017

Pacific Northwest art has a long and vibrant history. Stretching back over ten thousand years, coastal tribes created artwork based on materials that they found locally and could trade with other tribes, such as copper and shells. When Europeans moved into the area, the artwork utilized products traded from the Europeans, including iron.

At David Morgan, our traditional jewelry has been made from patterns over a hundred years old. These traditional patterns were designed by Tlingit tribes. In the early 1900’s, Mayer Brothers, a jewelry manufacturer in Seattle, produced silver bracelets to sell to the Indians along the Pacific Northwest coast. These trade bracelets became favored items to be given away at potlatches. Production has continued to this day under a succession of manufacturing companies here in the Northwest.

Lovebirds Trade Bracelet, sterling silver. Designed by Bill Wilson, made in USA.

Pacific Northwest art continues to be vibrant and innovative today. Odin Lonning, a Tlingit from Juneau, is an award-winning artist who has designed several of our jewelry pieces, including the ever-popular Raven and the Box of Daylight.

Corrine Hunt has made a tremendous impact in the art world. She is also a Tlingit/Komoyue and a member of the Raven Gwa’wina clan. She designed the medals for the 2010 Winter Olympics. We are proud to sell items from her Spirit of the Wild collection.

Corrine Hunt Deerskin Wristlet. Spirit of the Wild Collection.

We are pleased to offer a range of trade bracelets and matching rings designed by Bill Wilson, a Tlingit raised in Hoonah, Alaska. The bracelets are struck from the original dies made in the early 1900’s for trade with the Indians of the Pacific Northwest. Typical of the early patterns, the bracelets are relatively narrow, with the design on the terminals. The bracelets and rings are available in sterling silver.

Christian White carved the argillite chess pieces of which we sell the Boma reproductions. He is a Haida from the island of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia.

Please enjoy this article about Christian White from the New York Times.

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Pacific Northwest Art