This necklace features John Paul Miller’s unique style of enameling and showcases his ability to create imaginative and whimsical animal forms, as well as his highly sophisticated gold work. The enamel pendant and hand-wrought loop-in-loop chain is based on work Miller pioneered decades earlier. He admired the sophisticated metalwork of the ancient Etruscans, especially their use of gold granulation (a delicate process in which tiny balls of pure gold are fused to a gold surface). Miller revived this technique, combining it with polychrome enamel. He studied and later taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where he influenced generations of jewelry makers.

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