LAPIDARY JOURNAL, September 1992

LAPIDARY
GE/VIS • JEWELRY ARTS • /VIIMERALS • THE EARTH
•••••^^•••^•^•••••HAmVHBHM
SEPTEMBER 1992 $3.00
for GE/Vl CUTTERS - COLLECTORS - JEWELERS
Lapidary and metalwork,
husband and wife, Aleut
and southwestern — all
these come together in
jewelry that is complex
and meaningful.
BY FRAN WHITE
Upon seeing Denise Wallace's jewelry for the first time, the viewer overlooks the
details that have been meticulously combined to make each piece. A second, more
studied look at any one of Wallace's hand-fabricated designs, however, not only
alerts you to the intricate layers of symbolism and craftsmanship in her work, but
also to the exquisite lapidary contributions of Sam Wallace.
Some 15 years ago, as newly weds and rank novices in both lapidary and
metalwork, Sam and Denise Wallace began taking jewelry making classes and
working together. Today, their individual talents are flourishing, yet the two
complement each other as they create stunning pieces of jewelry that reflect the
symbols of Denise's Aleut heritage.
"When Denise began
concentrating on her Alaskan designs," Sam admits
with good-natured resignation, "it became painfully
clear that her designs were
far better than mine!" A
division of labor naturally
ensued, with Denise concentrating on design and
Sam taking care of the
stonework. "It has been six
or seven years now since I
have held a torch or Denise
a stone," Sam says.
v ;
Layered
26
with
LAPIDARY JOURNAL, September 1992
DENISE DOES NOT CUT the stones, but they are essential to her work. She
realizes that the stones may not have been a part of her work had she come to her
profession without Sam. His love of lapidary has influenced the course of her
design, she acknowledges. Pressed to imagine her work without his influence, she
thinks that she probably would have used other techniques, such as more silverwork or scrimshaw, for example, instead of relying on her husband's beautiful
work with stones.
Sam credits Denise and her designs for his ability to be creative: "Lapidary is
far more interesting to me now. I am not doing the same shapes over and over again.
With Denise it is always something new, improvising and learning new things. In
fact, we like to say that if there is a harder way to do something, we'll find it!"
BELOW: The 18 figures that make up
the Women and Children belt are
made from sterling silver, 18 karat
gold, fossilized walrus tusk, and
colored stones — lapis lazuli,
chrysocolla-in-quartz, sugilite,
chrysoprase, variscite, rhodochrosite,
turquoise, Bruneau jasper, lace agate,
fossil coral, charoite, and spectrolite.
OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT: The Wallaces
used sterling silver, 14 karat gold,
lapis, variscite, and fossilized walrus
tusk for their Koniag Bird Mask; its
removable face may be worn as a
pendant. RIGHT: Wolf Transformation
features sterling silver, fossilized
walrus tusk, abalone, and
lepidolite. It is one of 10 pieces
from the Transformation Belt.
nificance
Photos by Mark Nohl
Layered...
Sam Wallace was born in Virginia
layers for warmth and ceremony. WalAlaska and there are no native Alaskan
and describes his young self as a kid
lace has combined these stories and
jewelers. As Denise began to incorwith a pocket full of rocks all the time.
traditions with the southwestern
porate designs influenced by her culture
But he was not a passionate collector
metalsmithing techniques she has
and focused on silverwork, Sam, largely
until he and Denise met about 16 years
learned in Santa Fe. She sees similarities,
self-taught, gravitated toward lapidary,
ago in Seattle. Taking a leave-of-absence
not differences, between the cultures of
which turned out to be his real love.
from-his job as an electronics technician,
the southwest and her own heritage —
"Because her designs have been so
Sam joined Denise to travel in the west
similarities of kinship with nature and
popular, we have been snowed under
by van for nine months.
with animals and living close to the
for years," Sam says. "I would like to do
The couple wanted to pursue a
land.
more carving and faceting. Denise's suchobby together, so they read books
Aleut folklore has a recurring theme
cess has kept me busy in one direction,
about gem locations and began collectof the transformation of forms, captured
yet it's okay with me; I really love what
ing stones for fun, mostly jaspers
I'm doing."
and agates in Washington, Oregon,
A Wallace signature is a variaand Idaho. They also collected some
tion on the intricate southwestern
azurite and malachite in Arizona
concho belt with themes drawn
and New Mexico. They accumufrom native Alaskan folklore and
lated so much material that it was
lifestyles. One of the first attempts
necessary to stockpile it in a storage
by the Wallaces was a belt of killer
van in Boise, Idaho. Sam Wallace
whales, featuring 10 sterling silver
still has a good collection of Biggs
swimming orcas inlaid with lapis,
and Bruneau jaspers.
agate, and jasper. Each whale
After returning to Seattle and
opened to reveal a scene of Alaskan
marrying, the couple decided to
life, etched on silver. The belt won
take metalsmithing and lapidary
three awards in the 1984 Indian
classes to put some of their collecMarket, an annual exhibit of Native
tion to use. Shortly afterwards, in
American art in Santa Fe.
1977, the Wallaces moved to Santa
Since then, the Wallaces have
Fe, where they still live and work.
averaged two belts every three
Denise, who was developing a
years. The first belt was created as
strong interest in her Aleut heritage,
a single work, but successive belts
enrolled at the Institute of American
have featured linked pieces that
Indian Art there. The couple began
detach to be worn separately.
to design contemporary jewelry,
using their agates and jaspers, inAT THE CROSSROADS. One
stead of the more traditional turof the couple's most ambitious
quoise and coral of southwestern
projects, consuming most of 1990,
jewelry.
was the Crossroads of Continents
"My carving is a way of carrying
belt, inspired by the Crossroads of
on my culture," Denise says. "My
Continents exhibition, co-sponjewelry is a way of saying, 'This is
sored by the Smithsonian Instituwho I am. This is where I'm from.'" One of 10 figures from the Crossroads of Continents belt, "Even" tion and the Institute of EthnogThe Aleuts, one of Alaska's regional is fashioned from sterling silver, 14 karat gold, lapis, coral, and raphy of the Soviet Academy of
fossilized walrus tusk. The garment opens to reveal inlay work.
tribes, have inhabited the Aleutian
Sciences in the former Soviet
Islands down to the southern coast of
in Denise Wallace's designs by hinged
Union. After seeing the exhibit, which
Washington.
openings that reveal surprises, by
documents 10 ethnic groups in Alaska,
stories within stories, faces behind
Siberia, British Columbia, and the
TRANSFORMATIONS. Daughter
masks, a woman behind the moon, a
Yukon Territory, Denise Wallace
of a German father and Aleut mother,
man turned into a wolf. Until 1983,
decided to use a concho belt to portray
Wallace was raised in Seattle but spent
when Wallace decided to focus on her
these same peoples, with the figures patsummers with relatives in Cordova on
culture, her designs had a contemterned after garments exhibited in the
Prince William Sound. Her jewelry
porary, Scandinavian feeling. She finds
show. She fashioned a set of 10 pendesigns tell stories — stories her
inspiration by studying designs on old
dants. Openings on the figures reveal
grandmother told her about cold and
scrimshaw, reading books on native art
scrimshaw drawings or lapidary work
faraway places with abundant seals,
and artifacts, and returning as often as
or another pin or earrings to be removed
walruses, whales, ravens, bears, and
she can to Cordova to pick berries, fish,
and worn. The belt required 2,500 maneagles; places whose natives hunted and
and visit her relatives.
hours of work and is displayed in their
fished and dressed in costumes of many
There is no tradition of metalwork in
studio. Sam Wallace remembers that "it
LAPIDARY JOURNAL, September 1992
laces have a tray of stones to look at and
The Wallaces intend the belts to be
was the most complicated thing I've
worn. Some customers wear them a
arrange in patterns. One of Sam's
ever done. I think Denise and I went two
couple of times a year, housing them in
favorite stones is spectrolite, though the
to three days without speaking."
iridescent gem challenges him. Denise's
safety deposit boxes the rest of the time.
Contrary to most jewelers, who may
A buyer from Scottsdale, Arizona, built
affinity for triangular shapes do not suit
design a piece around a cut stone, Sam
the brittle stone, as it is easy to chip off
a display case in his home for his belt.
Wallace works with predesigned bezels
points when working with spectrolite.
While the finished product draws sighs
and shapes stones to fit them. Denise
Yet Sam has had the skill and patience
of admiration from viewers, Wallace
hands him a set of connected bezels
to make it work because he loves it. He
says that for a while he can see only
resembling a giant cookie cutter or the
pieces of stone — it takes time for him to
is partial to stones with bright solid
outlines of a child's stained glass kit.
colors like chrysoprase, lapis,
The Even figure from the
and sugilite. Because his
Crossroads belt presented him
stones are inlaid, translucence
with particular challenges. The
is not an important factor.
Even people from eastern
Denise Wallace's designs
Siberia wore their jackets open
also have an affinity for fossilto display the rich detail of their
ized walrus tusks with their
clothing. This piece features
shadings of browns and
lapidary work to simulate the
beiges and marbling and texintricate embroidery of the
tural effects. Denise, because
original costume. "The piece
of her heritage, is entitled to
drove me crazy," Sam recalls.
use new ivory, which is
He first carved the face from
uniformly white and therefossilized walrus tusk, adding
fore preferable from an artisscrimshaw details. Coral, lapis,
tic standpoint. But because
and ivory were inlaid to
they care for the environment,
resemble the embroidery of the
the Wallaces have decided not
original ceremonial costume.
to incorporate new ivory in
Sam laminated slabs of ivory
their work.
and lapis so that he could treat
them as one piece, after which
ANCIENT MASK. One of
they were cut, fitted into the
Sam and Denise Wallace's
bezel, and domed. The sleeves
most recent pieces is a replicaand bottom border of the tunic
tion of a Koniag wooden
feature scrimshaw details. The
Sterling silver and fossilized walrus rusk are featured in these Half
Crossroads belt was completed Man/Half Walrus Transformation pin/pendants. The silver mask on the ceremonial mask found on
at 1 a.m. one morning and at upright figure lifts to reveal an ivory face. The large face on the oval piece Kodiak Island in the 1850s.
may be removed and worn as a pendant.
They had seen the original in
9 a.m. it was on a plane bound
appreciate the whole.
the Crossroads exhibit. The Wallaces
for New York's American Museum of
Denise Wallace puts her designs on
made the piece in an edition of eight,
Natural History. It is loaned out from
paper, then she sits down with Sam to
which has already sold out. The first two
time to time for shows but was such an
discuss them. Sometimes her designs
featured fossilized walrus tusk faces
investment of labor and love that it will
are based on artifacts such as costumes
with details added in scrimshaw. For the
remain permanently in Santa Fe.
or masks, allowing less flexibility of
remaining six, they decided to use inlay,
BACK TO THE GRIND. There is a
color and choice of representational
each piece featuring 31 pieces of
stones. Other times, she stylizes a tradilapidary work.
backlog of orders for Wallace belts,
tional form, allowing more creativity
which are purchased, sight unseen, with
Eleven discs of fossilized walrus tusk
with color. In that case, Sam is responinlaid with variscite presented no real
asking prices starting at $30,000.
sible for determining what stones will be
problems. The face, however, was more
According to Sam, there has been
used and where scrimshaw details will
complicated. It featured inlay details of
only one occasion when a customer did
be added.
lapis and variscite.
not accept a completed belt. After the oil
Denise does all the silverwork,
Denise began by fashioning the intespill in Alaska, the Wallaces decided to
solders bezels, and fashions the tiny
rior bezels Vi", thicker than normal, and
pay tribute to the beleagured wildlife by
hinges. Sam cuts and shapes the stones
traced each one on cardboard for a patcreating a belt with a series of sea otter
to fit perfectly, relying on his Titan six
tern for Sam. The bezels then were
figures. The woman next on the list of
wheel diamond cutter/grinder and
orders preferred a belt with human
soldered into place. Sam used the outflexible shaft. If he says, "I don't think I
figures. No problem — the man followside pattern line to trace the shape onto
stone. After shellacking the stone, he
ing her on the list was glad to have the
can do it," Denise ignores him, he says.
As they talk about a design, the Walground to the line, completing each
inspired creation.
Layered...
Sam Wallace, the lapidary half of this jewelry
making team, prepares stones for setting.
piece to fit exactly into the required
bezel. All the pieces were epoxied in
place and domed. After carving the face,
Sam polished the piece and added
scrimshaw details.
Both Wallaces do scrimshaw on the
jewelry, but their techniques are quite
different. Denise's work is traditional,
using black ink and lines, but Sam is in
the process of developing a scrimshaw
technique using tiny point work instead
of lines to create almost photolike images. Areas are shaded, which gives a
more realistic look. Sam is making tools
and experimenting with colored inks
from London.
The Wallace studio employs seven
additional people. Six had never made
ONE IN
Full Selection of Beads
Full Line of Shapes
CATALOG AVAILABLE
PLEASE WRITE WITH
RESALE NUMBER:
16 W. 32nd St., 7th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212)563-4990
(800)999-0478
Fax:(212)563-0099
30
Whereabouts
At the Wallace's Santa Fe
studio, the gallery area regularly
displays crafts by other Alaskan
native artists. Also, each August,
Sam and Denise Wallace sponsor
a show of Alaskan native art at
the studio, which is located at
815 Early Street, Suite A, in
Santa Fe and is open 9 a.m. to
5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The mailing address is P.O.
Box 5521, Santa Fe, New Mexico
87502; telephone 505-9840265.
The Wallace studio creates
two lines of jewelry. One line,
available in about 40 galleries
and museum shops around the
country, has some of its components cast outside the studio.
These pieces are combined with
hand-fabricated details in silver,
gold, and colored stones added
by the Wallaces and their assistants. Only the Santa Fe studio
features Denise Wallace's handfabricated line of belts and
pin/pendants.
Galleries with good selections
of Wallace jewelry include
Adobe East in Summit, New Jersey; Artique, Ltd., Anchorage,
Alaska; Earth Spirits of Palm
Desert, California; Gallery 10 in
Scottsdale, Arizona; Illumina in
Atlanta, Georgia; Washington,
D.C.'s Indian Craft Shop at the
Department of the Interior; The
Legacy in Seattle, Washington;
Long Ago and Far Away in the
Green Mountain Village Shops,
Manchester Center, Vermont;
North Moon, Telluride, Colorado;
Santa Fe Ambiance, Boulder,
Colorado; Sagebrush Gallery,
Sanibel, Florida; Southwest
Museum Shop, Los Angeles,
California.— FW
jewelry and were taught by the Wallaces, who enjoy training staff members
with no preconceived ideas about jewelry. Says Sam: "If we are going to be
unique, we have to figure out our own
way of doing things." No one could
deny that Sam and Denise Wallace have
done so.
*
LAPIDARY JOURNAL, September 1992