IMPORTANT: This jewel is limited and we are unsure if they'll be available again in the future. We recommend Express Shipping with signature required upon delivery to best ensure it arrives safely in your hands. 

PLEASE NOTE : This necklace will be created with an 18" bar link chain. If you desire a different chain length, it's important that you email us immediately after placing your order for a custom quote on the additional length.

Because these stones are limited, we are not able to accommodate any requests for specific stone preferences.

Life cast cat claws are collaged around a stunning black mother of pearl cabochon to mimic the shape of the scarab beetle symbol in ancient Egypt.

The symbol of the scarab beetle, which meant creation, resurrection, and the eternal cycle of life, has been sacred to ancient Egypt for nearly all of its storied history. The symbolism of this special insect is based on the reproductive habits of the beetles: the way in which they roll dung balls and deposit their fertilized egg/s within, treating the ball of waste as a kind of nursery that provides nutrients and protection. When a newly hatched beetle emerges from the dung ball, it does so fully formed, a “marvel” the ancient Egyptians noticed and used to create one of the most enduring symbols of human history. This symbol was important to both everyday Egyptians as well as to royalty (akin to the Cross) and was one that would spread beyond the borders of Egypt and across time, as we still wear the sacred scarab today. 

Representative of the Sun God Ra, specifically Khepri, the scarab faced God that rolled the early morning disc of the Sun over the eastern horizon daily, the scarab was worn as a protective amulet against evil and as a good luck charm. Made of a variety of materials, it was worn close to the body, as well as used in funerary customs. Funerary scarabs are much larger than their everyday counterparts and are called ‘Heart Scarabs’. The Ancient Egyptians had intense and rigorous funerary rituals and customs, especially for royalty and the wealthy, as the afterlife was of utmost importance to them; death was considered the process of transformation that led to the portal of the afterlife, where one would live on for eternity. The heart, considered the seat of human thought, intelligence, and emotion, was left in the body while many other organs were removed. This was so that it could be weighed in a trial of judgement before a person was permitted to pass into the afterlife. A Heart Scarab was kept with the body to help protect the heart from giving ‘false testimony’ or telling lies due to external influence. It behaved as a magical protector during the “weighing of the heart’, containing a magical spell from The Book of the Dead on its bottom: 

O my heart which I received from my mother,

my heart which I received from my mother,

my heart of my different ages,

do not stand up against me as a witness!

Do not create opposition against me among the assessors!

Do not tip the scales against me

in the presence of the Keeper of the Balance!

You are my soul which is in my body,

the god Khnum who makes my limbs sound.

When you go forth to the Hereafter,

my name shall not stink to the courtiers

who create people on his behalf.

Do not tell lies about me

in the presence of the Great God! 

Here, the symbol of the scarab is paired with the cat, which was also viewed as an important creature in ancient Egyptian society. The cat and the scarab were closely linked as a protective symbol, some statues of cats are carved with scarab beetles on their foreheads. 

Wear this unique scarab over your heart for protection, good luck and to keep your heart safe from negative influences.  

*Details* :

- 36 mm from top to bottom

- 29 mm wide

- Solid Sterling Silver  

- Both pendant and chain are hand oxidized to achieve our favorite shade of stormy gray and then highlighted to reveal the bright luminous silver beneath

- Set with one 15 x 20 mm Mother of Pearl Cabochon

- Seen on Miguel on 18 inch chain

- Last photo shown with the Familiar in Onyx

Pearls

Have an ancient history of reverence as well as a long legacy of beauty. Pearls are formed when an external irritant, like a grain of sand, breaches the shell of an oyster or shelled mollusk. Once this irritant has gained entrance within the dark fleshy confines of the oyster, it goes to work protecting itself. If this irritant can’t be expelled, it begins to ‘bandage’ the grain, coating it with concentric rings of calcium carbonate, named ‘narce.’ Each layer that is built up forms the shape of the pearl, awash in a brilliant iridescence, a beauty born of a tiny trespass. Thusly, a pearl has at its center, the object of its creation, a foreign intruder.

I associate the pearl and its strange construction to so many things: the jellied caterpillar struggling within a chrysalis, its liquefied body form a new winged shape. An embedded star smoldering within the shell of our hearts. An ink dot, a pin prick, a moon in miniature. History, who has always loved and revered the pearl, writes that we once believed pearls were the result of lightning striking the shell and penetrating the inner skins of the oyster. A small beauty made in duress, a ‘stone’ of initiation. To possess a pearl means to own something that is hidden, sacred.

Lore has it that Cleopatra, to win a wager with Antony, dissolved a large, exquisite pearl in her drinking glass. She swallowed it in one sip. I wonder about her dreams that night.

Black mother of pearl ranges in color but traditionally they are dark in color with an iridescence that may include shades of pink, blue, green, and brown when turned in the light.

This jewel is hand cut and therefore may have small signs of the carver's hands along the edges. It has not been fabricated by a machine rather it hand cut and therefore might not be uniformly perfect. The photographs accurately portray the quality of the stone and the cut. 

***IMPORTANT***  

This jewel is handmade to order, just for you, with care and focus. Please allow approximately 6 - 8 weeks for creation before shipping.  

Visit the Policy Page to make an educated and informed purchase HERE.

If you have further questions, we are always here to serve you in a kind and timely manner: via info@bloodmilkjewels.com