Iqaluit (Jan 15/07) - His wife Eva pushed him in this direction, and Pootoogook Noah couldn't be happier with the result.

Noah has been working with metal for three years, after taking the metal working program at Arctic College.

When you see Pootoogook Noah selling these rings in Iqaluit, keep in mind that he has worked for royalty. You will be buying a ring fit for a king. - Kent Driscoll/NNSL photo

"My wife suggested that I try, and I love it. I don't want to stop," said Noah.

While he mostly makes rings, the craftsman has made other items, and for an impressive audience.

"My favourite is one of my first, a bowl. It was bought by (former Governor General) Adrienne Clarkson for the prince of Denmark for his wedding gift," said Noah.

A copper bowl rested atop of the piece, with four sterling inuksuit holding it up.

Rings are the item he makes most often, and with how fast they sell, he spends more time creating art than selling it.

First he flattens the silver and then rolls it into a ring shape. Each ring has a silver attachment, some are ulus, some inuksuit. With some detail work to make them sparkle and shine, Noah is ready to hit the street selling his work.

He has a good idea why southern collectors are so interested in Inuit art.

"It is the designs we have, and it shows how we lived before, with the animals and inuksuit," said Noah.

While he calls Iqaluit home, Noah has lived and worked all over Canada. He spent almost a year at the Nanisivik mine, and has one main memory of his former work site.

"It was always dark, 24 hours dark," he said. "Sometimes I wouldn't know if it was morning or evening."