The whale is singing to the camel

The whale is singing to the camel- Sterling silver, fine silver, sapphires, camel bone beads.

Detail.

I made this neckpiece in 2006. I saw a piece of scrimshaw in the National Gallery of Victoria, it was of a whalehunt. I thought about that piece a lot, I went back to look at it several times, I thought about the person who carved it and the whale whose death it depicted. It was a beautiful piece of work of a horrific event. I couldn't get close enough to that piece. I banged my head on the glass of the cabinet trying to get a closer look.Then one day it was no longer on display. I wanted to make something in response to that piece, something joyful. And this is it. It is made from fine silver, sterling silver, sapphires and camel bone beads. The gem merchant told me those camel bones were found in the desert and the camel died of natural causes. That is what he said... Across the land, across the sea the whale is singing to the camel!