53675.0 - A Boquet of Flowers Created with Carved Australian Opal Chips embedded in Resin against a Blue Background 40x30 mm

Please note: there are some parts of the surface which isn't perfectly polished, but is really only visible in these highly magnified photos or by close scrutiny and provided good eyesight!

This piece was made in the very late 1960's or early 1970's.
It is made up with numerous little pieces of high quality Opal chips, many of which has actually been carved, like the flowers and some leaves and the whole lot embedded in resin.

The pieces are arranged so to give a very distinct 3 dimensional appearance, which makes the piece more "alive" rather than looking "flat" and 2 dimensional.

This is not a big deal today with high technology and modern equipment and can be made absolutely perfect, but just like with many paintings; magnify or look at them very close up and the brush strokes etc. looks rough and ready and rather haphazardly applied and "meaningless", but step back and away from the painting and the subject in it becomes clear and "alive".

Considering the situation of the person who made it, I was rather amazed and I bought some pieces from him, but which I then also sold, except for this particular one which I have kept over all these years; half a Century!

What amazed me at the time was that not only was it made by an old man, possible in his late 80's and he did it in his home unit with no special equipment, but his hands were shaking!

I never actually saw him in action carving, but how this old man managed to create this thing with his shaking hand was, and still is to me, a wonder in itself.