Obsidian and Silver Arrow Earrings

Obsidian set into silver in a stylized arrow form gives these earrings their sharp, directional design, a third-period pairing of dark volcanic stone with bright metal. Obsidian was a material with deep roots in Mexico's ancient toolmaking and ornament, and Spratling's use of it carries that heritage into a clean modern shape.

The arrow is reduced to its essential geometry, the obsidian providing both the color and the weight at the point of the form. It is the kind of disciplined stone-and-silver statement that marks Spratling's later jewelry, where a single contrasting material does the decorative work.

Obsidian earrings of this kind come to market only occasionally. With the stone, the form, and the third-period dating recorded, the design speaks plainly for itself.