Sterling Silver Hummingbird on Open Flower Earrings by Kathy "Elk Woman" Whitman (Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara)

Delicate hummingbirds are feeding at open flowers in these wonderful earrings by Kathy Whitman.  They are cut out of sheets of sterling silver, then engraved with subtle designs.  They hang from round hoops made of silver wire.

Some birds, especially hummingbirds, are very important pollinators of wildflowers. Hummingbirds are attracted to flowers with tubular or funnel shapes in bright colors.  The scent of the flower is unimportant, as they have no sense of smell.  Weighing between two and eight grams, hummingbirds eat frequently in order to power hearts that pump 1,200 times per minute and wings that beat seventy times a second. They must eat several times their weight in nectar everyday, and supplement their sugary diet with small insects.

A self-taught artist, Kathy Whitman is also a sculptor, painter and clothing designer. She was given the name "Elk Woman" at a Sun Dance Ceremony in South Dakota in 1977. 

Length 2", width 1 1/2"