The Beauty That is Horn

We had a rather substantial order of horn jewelry arrive the other day. Unpacking it, I was in a bit of a trance. For each piece is truly like a little natural work of art. I wrote of my fondness for horn in my book–how it is a natural byproduct of animals after they have lived a fruitful & long life, so I feel in many ways it is an homage to them. The horn gets heated and becomes quite pliable, allowing artisans to create stupendous cups, bowls, utensils, and in this case, jewelry. This order was made for us in Vietnam. I had the great pleasure of meeting the makers when I was in New York in August. We could hardly wait for the order to arrive…