During the course of the nearly 15 years of BloodMilk, I have always turned to the Chthonic Goddess Persephone as muse and inspiration for jewelry, most notably, rings. As next month at the time of my writing this ( September ) officially marks 15 years, this new iteration, the ‘Descent’ ring, was created to be released  to mark not only this occasion, as well as the month Persephone returns to the Underworld. 

The ring features a traditionally cut faceted oval Onyx in a uniquely large size and reflects the light despite the rich black color of the stone, resembling a scrying mirror. Cradled in life cast bones from a bat’s wings, legs and claws, the setting draws inspiration from the Art Nouveau period as well as the bone “cathedrals” of Europe. 

Designed to be highly tactile ( wear it on your pointer finger to rub the bones with your thumb like a worry stone ) as well as talismanic, this ring holds with it the story of Persephone, a Goddess who’s able to travel between worlds, a liminal goddess who belongs to the seasons, the marking of time, to the dead, as well as to the concept of grief and other inky emotions such as melancholy, feeling trapped, feeling out of time or place. 

To be worn as a comfort or companion for liminal folks - this whole move between worlds, between emotions, between people & places. For those who feel they don't belong anywhere...

Bats and their cast wing and leg bones have long been a component I’ve used in my visual library as a way of creating a personal visual language. As nocturnal creatures, I feel a kinship with their natural predilection for the night time hours, but I’m also interested in how they use sonar to ‘see’, how as a metaphor bats as liminal creatures also remind us to look closer with our other senses, a way of ‘seeing the unseen.’ It’s my hope and intention that pairing them with other chthonic imagery and myth further adds to the visual meaning I’m aiming for, creating a collage of personal ideas while also tethering these physical jeweled objects to the spirit of the bat ( and other natural objects in the case of other jewels in my collection ) and to the spirit of the myths I’m invoking.

The Descent Ring is oxidized to achieve our favorite shade of stormy gray and then hand finished to reveal the bright luminous silver highlights.

Details

-23mm wide

-sits 9mm off of the finger

-solid sterling silver 

-20mm x 30mm fine cut onyx oval stone

Onyx:

Onyx is best known for being a natural stone that acts as a kind of 'psychic armor' against the negativity of others. It is also used to sooth grief and heartbreak. It is a wonderful grounding stone and a stone of self mastery, enabling its wearers to have mental and spiritual focus.

 These jewels are hand cut and therefore may have very slight differences in size and may have small signs of the carver's hands along the edges. These are not fabricated by a machine, they are made by hand and therefore aren't uniformly perfect.

The photographs accurately portray the quality of the stones and the cuts. 

***IMPORTANT***

This jewel is handmade to order, just for you, with care and focus. Please allow approximately 6 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 bloodmilkjewels@gmail.com