Winter Solstice Cuff
I hand crafted this regal, Prudent Man Agate and Sterling oak leaf cuff in my home studio in Southeastern North Carolina. This heirloom quality cuff showcases a unique and somewhat rare stone from Idaho called Prudent Man agate. The mine is owned by Steve Howard and this is what he says about it:
“I am a guy with a bit of a sense of humor.
I had a claim that was declared invalid under the Prudent Man clause of the 1874 mining law which states that you can only hold a claim if in the judgement of the mine inspector a prudent man could make a living by working it. My sister says I have been officially declared by the US government to be “not a prudent man”. So like a politician if you declare yourself to be something and say it often enough eventually someone will believe you. Even so I have no intention of truly becoming a prudent man. When people ask me how I found it I tell them I was out prospecting and my mule just stopped and refused to go any farther, I picked up a rock to throw at her and…. It’s a memorable name and I have fun with it.
Steve Howard
AKA Mad John
(not a prudent man) “
This is a large cuff! It is 1 inch wide, and a hair over 6 inches long. Mostly, it is longer because I didn't want to cut off the two acorns that are part of the design at either end. It is hand buffed to kind of a matte finish. I did not want to lose some of it’s dark, “transition to winter vibe”. The stone has mysterious plumes of smoky, blue gray to green to caramel colors. It appear like the hedge line at the edge of a forest with snow clouds forming above at the beginning of a fairy tale. Definitely a stone to get lost in! This is just the type of bracelet that would stop someone in their tracks. And it may provoke questions.