Copper and bronze spirit bear cuff bracelet on Handmade Artists’ Shop.

Handcrafted to capture the bold spirit of southwest, this copper cuff bracelet features a bronze spirit bear design influenced by Native American Art and Folklore. The bracelet was sawed by hand with a jewelry saw as a flat band from 18 gauge copper and features two spirit bears that were sawed entirely free form from 20 gauge bronze. Using an acetylene torch and sterling silver solder, the spirit bears were joined with the bracelet and a grooved pattern was added around the perimeter by hammering the imprint of a common screwdriver. Completing the design, Zia Suns and half suns along the rounded end tabs and center combined with rough chased arrows on the spirit bears energize the bracelet with the aura of the southern deserts. The rich colors of the sands are symbolized by the golden glow of the bronze and reddish hues of the copper. A dark patina was brushed into the grooves and around the spirit bears to produce a shadow effect that serves as a transition between the two metals, while contributing depth to the design. Any rough edges were filed smooth by hand and the bracelet was burnished with a wire brush to reveal the metallic radiance of both metals. Searching for a more uniform appearance without the scratches of the metal brushes, I then polished the bracelet with a series of abrasive cloths.