Porcupine Quill Earrings

I use natural materials including genuine porcupine quills, bone, leather, glass and crystal in my jewellery designs.

Working with Quills: People are always interested in the use of porcupine quills in traditional art. The quills that are used in my jewellery, I have gathered myself. To give you an appreciation of the time and care that goes into the preparation of the quills, I will explain the process which was taught to me by my dear friend and Elder, Marie Carter. The quills go through 6 seperate baths; 2 soap baths, 2 salt baths, 2 vinegar baths. I use my bare hands to swish and wash the quills so you can imagine how carefully this is done and the time it takes! Once washed and dried, they are sorted by size and stored in child-proof medicine bottles (to avoid any “owies” in my son’s little feet…). The barbed tips are kept on until just before I’m about to string them onto a pair of earrings. The reason for this is because there is a natural oil in the quill which keeps the quill supple so that it doesn’t split while working with it.

The images below show some of the jewellery that I have created. To order your own custom jewellery, please contact me and we will discuss materials and colour choices.

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