The “Bear and Moonstone” Brooch, which Reid made in 1950, was his first “Haida” piece. It is one of his most important pieces and contains ideas that he later developed. The Bear is boldly positioned in profile holding a transparent round moonstone in its paws. The design includes simple abstract Northwest Coast elements, with a face in its centre, but this very early piece has vitality and power – qualities that we encounter in Reid’s later works. It is not static; something is happening.

The brooch was constructed from several pieces, all linked and soldered together. Some of the pieces are engraved with basic Northwest Coast style elements, such as a joint mark on the Bear’s hip, an ovoid-like eye socket in the Bear’s head, and an oval double-line engraving on the torso, thigh, and body component. The shapes of these line engravings clearly show that Reid did not understand formline art yet. This is not surprising, since the pin was made before he set himself out to learn the “conventions” or rules of this form of art.

During this time, as he did throughout his career, Reid studied and experimented. He worked out problems with space, light, and transparency. The brooch was made during his first year at the Ryerson Institute, for his wife while she was pregnant. Was the translucent round moonstone a symbol of the baby? And did he have it in mind 30 years later when he did his pencil drawing of the “Bear Mother” story? In that work, the pregnant “Bear Mother” (with a Bear cub in her womb) is curled with the “Bear Father” in a tender fetal position.

With the “Bear and Moonstone” Brooch, Reid began his journey with Haida art. He combined Northwest Coast icons and designs with the modern jewelry technique of metal-raising to create three-dimensional Northwest Coast jewelry, and he was the first to combine it with a semi-precious stone.