This wand is Thrustros

Wand: Thrustros
Type: Cedar
Origin: An open field of scrub grass and crystallized stones
Length: 14.75 inches / 37cm
Temperament: Steady
Availability: Etsy

Thrustros has a curled shaft and a hilt with two distinct sides - one lighter beige with black speckles and the other weathered grey with smooth, deep grooved bark. Two brilliant blue Nacozan turquoise stones are set in the hilt, an almost pure blue cabochon on the grey side and a cabochon with pyrite inclusions that match the speckled side.

The hilt is wider than usual, fitting firmly in the palm for both left- and right-handed casters. As representative of the Sky Father, Thrustros is a battle wand, a quick summoner and an undead bane.

Here in Thrustros its original form. The frayed end (left) was brushed with fire damage. The branch was not found near a campfire, but it could have been carried away from one at any time in its long past. That was a good sign that the wood had been useful to someone, or some thing. The branch was heavy though clearly weathered.

The speckled side was face down in the rich, dry dirt. Usually the dirt side of an old branch is partially rotted away or weakened by the constant contact with the earth, but Thrustros had withstood. While the sun-facing bark was baked into a hard, smooth surface, the speckled side was busy resisting bacterial growth, capturing the destructive enzymes in tiny pockets that now score the surface like battle wounds.

The boundary of the heartwood is directly beneath the thin outer bark, with no sign of sapwood. The honey-blonde heartwood is veined with a wide, thin-line grain that flows lightly along toward the wand's point.

Not shown is the part where I stripped away the outer bark of the upper 8.5 inches, marked a twin-pair of spirals up the shaft and then carved away the inner strip, followed by shaping the tapered slope to the tip. I had started with the two bands that now mark the top of the hilt with the intention of carving down the grip and shaping a nice ring near the middle of the wand. However, I changed my mind once the curl was complete. The wand needed no further shaping.

The styling of the wand reminded me of native dagger, with a sturdy hilt and a pointed blade used to hunt in the wild and alternatively as a sacred tool in meditation and religious ceremonies. When I encountered the two Nacozan cabochons, I understood that they were intended for Thrustros.

After penciling in the position of the stone on both sides of the hilt, I used a small grinding bit to cut the first setting. I use this bit a lot, and it beginning to look fairly worn. The edges have softened too much, and I often have to use a similar bit with a flared bottom to trim the inside of a setting's curve. I guess I continue to use this bit because it's been good to me and my wands. (the blurred seed in the background is from a Queen's Wreath ivy that has overtaken my back porch)

The turquoise with the inclusions set perfectly into the wood. I almost couldn't get it out after testing the final shape. It didn't actually come out until long after I'd finished both settings.

once the first turquoise was set, I needed to readjust where the second setting would be cut. I only had one chance to get it right without ruining the handle, and the penciled-in circle was not matching where the first stone was now set. First, I looped two small strings around the hilt to study where the new lines should be drawn, as the length of the hilt has the slightest curve.

I also used a ruler to measure the distance between the lower ring at the top of the hilt and top and bottom of the set stone.

Between the strings and those measurements, I was able to cut the second circle in the exact spot.

Thurstros, one sideup.

Thrustros, the other side down. The curve of the wand makes it ideal for either hand, left or right, or held with the tip upward or downward. It's well balanced in any combination.

The following photos are much more dramatic, and also used on Thrustros' Etsy listing.