Denise Wallace Earrings of Male and Female Faces

These earrings are so special! The rare pair is by master Aleutian jeweler Denise Wallace. They are silver set with fossilized walrus ivory. Tiny scrimshaw faces decorate the front of each earring. The two faces are different. One has a smiling mouth, which depicts a male face while the down-turned mouth represents a female. Such teeny contrasting details that say so much.

The earrings come from the private/personal collection of Santa Fe dealer and scholar Martha Hopkins Struever. Dating 1990, they are different sizes: one earrings is 7/8" long. The other is 3/4" long. They're hallmarked on the reverse.

To learn more about Denise Wallace, watch this wonderful short video on PBS.