Steinbeck – Pearl in Hand Pendant

This piece marks my return to jewelry making after several years out of the game. I am starting fresh after almost my entire inventory was robbed back then. All my hard labor as a fledgling silversmith is floating around out there somewhere, or melted down, but for a few molds I had storied away. Amongst the pieces from the molds I’ve saved is my hand sculpted hand pendant, which has a single pearl resting in its palm. I call this the Steinbeck pendant, in memory of “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, which I read as a child. The idea of the priceless pearl being the protagonist’s tragic burden because nobody in the market could trade with it has always stuck with me. Perhaps this pendant can remind its wearer that no currency is more valuable than the hand that holds it.