The Silver Rivers

For a fleeting moment in the 1970s I considered a career in jewelry making during art school at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Then came the sticker shock of purchasing copper, silver and semi-precious stones on a budget that could barely afford nourishment, cigarettes and the rent. It was a dream quashed on the realization that I couldn't even afford to set up a studio with blow torches and lapidary equipment.

However, Jewelry 101 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania was motivating, fun and tedious enough to keep me out of trouble in college. The professor, Mr. Hamilton, had a reputation of being difficult, and he required his students to make a metal box and something containing silver and copper, among other things.

So I came up with this design mounted on walnut, an abstract of flowing rivers beside groves of trees in seven pieces, each of which could be worn on a necklace.

And then this creation ended up tuck away in a box in a drawer soon after I realized art wasn't paying down the student loan and a regular paycheck needed to be secured.

This art remained hidden away for three decades until the other day, when it became a discovery that took me back to sweet memories of youth, romance and idealism.