Obsidian Star Brooch

This star brooch and pendant sandwiches an oval disc of obsidian between a dimensional silver starfish on top and a flat, one-dimensional starfish below, a layered construction that gives the dark stone a frame on both faces. A closely related brooch was made without the lower starfish, so the design exists in more than one form. Obsidian carried pre-Columbian weight in Mexican design, and the workshop used it freely against modern silver forms (Morrill, p. 135).

The doubling of the starfish, raised above and flat below, makes the pendant read differently from front and back, the obsidian held at its core.

Obsidian-set marine pieces are among the most characteristic Spratling survivals, and the existence of a simpler version makes this layered example a specific variant for collectors to identify.