These are gorgeous carvings, all hand-made from expert Mexican and Native American Carvers that live in Arizona. Each one is hours/days worth of work and intricately carved from Ironwood.
Ironwood carving is a unique form of art from the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. It was handcrafted from desert Ironwood, a very dense and heavy wood of intriguing origin.
To be suitable for carving, the wood must be exposed to the extremes of the climatic conditions that exist only in the desert. Years of exposure in this hot, dry environment cause the natural resins to collect, condense and cure, thus transforming the wood into very dense and heavy Ironwood. The government has prohibited the harvesting of living Ironwood trees, causing the artisans to search extensively for naturally fallen trees. No green wood is suitable or used for carving.
Ironwood carving is an unusually demanding art form originated by the Seri Indians, a small tribe that have dwelled in the great Sonoran Desert for thousands of years. Once the wood has been gathered, each piece is hand crafted using very simple tools. It requires long hours of carving, hand sanding and polishing, plus an artistic "eye" to effectively capture the beautiful burl and distinctive grain inherent to Ironwood. The result of this handwork is that no two pieces are identical. There is a limited supply of true Ironwood and a diminishing number of carvers. It is possible that each carving may appreciate in value.
PLEASE NOTE - The picture in the listing is NOT the exact carving that you will get. There is no way I can list each individual carving I have or it would take me forever. The only time that I list the EXACT one you get is with the large really expensive carvings. You will get one very similar to the one in the picture. Sometimes the wood grain has different patterns, but they are all very beautiful!
top of page
SKU: DUCK65