This necklace was originally released in our Nyx's Jewel Box Collection. 

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. 

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

A tear shaped black mother of pearl cabochon is set into a life cast rattlesnake spine frame, creating a striking visual contrast between the polished pearl and the highly textured vertebrae.

In Ancient Egypt, the Djed was a commonly used hieroglyph shaped like a pillar that represented the spine of Osiris, god of the dead and Underworld. This spine shape symbolized stability and was also used as an amulet for the living and the dead. For the dead it was an important grave good, worn close to the neck or chest within mummy wrappings to help the body's spine 'rise again' as well as reinforce stability and rejuvenation in the afterlife. It was used in similar ways for the living, to promote strength and endurance in daily life, enabling its wearer support during life's turmoil and uncertainties. Here, the spine is made from the spine of a rattlesnake, carefully shaped into a tear rather than a pillar.

While rattlesnakes were not present in Ancient Egypt, venomous snakes, such as the cobra, were both revered and feared. The Goddess Wadjet was depicted shaped like a cobra or was seen wearing a cobra headdress. She was considered a protective Goddess, guarding the Pharaohs from threats both supernatural and mundane in nature. A beautiful amulet of her in her cobra form was found in the mummy wrappings of King Tutankhamen.

Mother of pearl was also used in Ancient Egypt, found in pyramids and tombs as inlays within jewelry and objects. As these stones are made of the inner lining of shells that act as protection from outside threats, they are considered shields or symbols of protection. Their luminescent colors also associate them with the moon and her lunar rays, as they appear to quite literally 'glow', especially when they appear in their white/cream colors. This made them highly sought after and were either sourced from the Red Sea or were acquired through trade. There were objects found in King Tut's tomb with Mother of Pearl inlays. In the Catholic religion, Mother of Pearl was used in rosary beads and associated with the Virgin Mary, considered to be divine rays as well as symbols of purity. In the Victorian era, Mother of Pearl was used for Mourning jewelry it was considered to represent 'tears.'

This jewel is a collage of all of these ideas, a protective amulet made to also lend you strength and resilience during the turbulent, grief filled times we currently find ourselves in, tethered to the past. Wear with these intentions in mind, or wear for its unusual beauty.

*Details* :

- 44 mm from top to bottom

- 32 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 18 x 25 mm pear cut black mother of pearl

- Seen on Miguel on a 20 inch chain

 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 forms 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.

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