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The "abalone waves" necklace takes its name from Spratling's own description, the iridescent abalone set into silver to evoke moving water. The natural shimmer of the shell carries the wave motif, the silver shaping and holding it.
Abalone was among the native and natural materials Spratling favored, used in his work from the Alaska designs onward (Morrill, p. 66). Naming the design for the effect of the material is characteristic of how he let a stone or shell drive a piece. It dates to the First Design Period (1931-1946).
The necklace is recorded in Phyllis Goddard's Spratling Silver field guide.
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