Cicadas Clockwise from top: Brooch, 2005. Number 8 turquoise, sterling silver, 18k gold, and rubies. Wings are articulated. 5 inches wide. Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, 2005.15.1, purchased by the Wheelwright Museum Collectors’ Circle. Brooch, circa 2005. Plique-á-jour wings, body of labradorite, sterling silver, 18k gold, and rubies. 3.5 inches wide. Private collection. Brooch, circa 2005. Wings of Kingman turquoise, body of Blue Gem turquoise, sterling silver, and coral. 4.5 inches wide. Private collection. Cicadas

Nature Nurtures: Jewelry by Liz Wallace
January 29, 2011

As a painfully shy child in Northern California, Liz Wallace was nurtured by a loving grandmother who opened her eyes to the beauties of nature. Today, as an artist whose love of metalwork has led her to experiment with processes ranging from blacksmithing to plique-à-jour, Wallace continues to find inspiration and solace in the natural world. "What I love about René Lalique’s work is that he took things that repulse most people and made them beautiful. Or he depicted things that are melancholy-in a lot of his work the flowers are starting to decompose. To take a stag beetle or a cicada and make it beautiful-reinterpret it in a way that lets people appreciate the beauty in it-that’s the inspiration for me."