IMPORTANT: This jewel is limited and we do not know if they'll be available again in the future. We recommend Express Shipping with signature required upon delivery to make sure it arrives safely in your hands. 

Please note : This necklace will be created with an 30" bar link chain. If you desire a different chain length you must reach out to us immediately after placing your order. Because these stones are very limited, we are not able to accommodate any requests for specific stone color preferences.

This special version of our Snake Heart design features a small Hematite sphere. Our new Grief Snakes coil around this stunning crystal ball; each snake features a smooth body freckled with raised tear shaped scales. 

Akin to our much beloved Grief Moths and Grief Snake bangle, this snake was born & grown wholly in our imagination, dreams and hearts rather than life cast from natural history. Like its winged kin, its body and head are freckled throughout with tears while most of its body is smooth. 

It was designed with being a symbolic balm to grief in mind: a personal grief carrier to help "carry the burden" of intense emotions you may have accrued during this strange, horrifying and transformative year. Or perhaps it can be your anchor, something to literally hold on to and that literally holds on to you, as you navigate the rough seas of past memories that may appear suddenly like a lightning storm. It may also symbolically help assist you unravel the unwanted emotions / thought patterns needing to be shed- much like the snake brings with it the symbol of transformation- as it regularly sheds its old skin in its entirety as it grows, expanding after each shed, becoming, in a sense, fresh with potential and possibility. 

This jewel can also be used as a piece of 'sentimental' jewelry to mark the passing of a loved one as a piece of modern mourning jewelry (Snakes were sometimes included in Victorian Mourning motifs.)- as it was designed with this intention in mind as well-the tears symbolizing the snake sharing your sorrow in an eternal way, cast forever in metal-even as you may be able to move on to other emotions during the complex and long dance with grief, this jewel will remain a touchstone. 

Additionally, remarkably detailed and tactile, the body of each snake was designed to be touched and rubbed during moments of reverie or intense emotion for a calming experience if you’re so inclined to somatic soothing techniques.

Lastly, snakes and snake magic/medicine have meant a lot to me for a long time, but lately I've been thinking of their connection to Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of medicine. He is usually depicted with a rod on which a snake is twinned around it; symbolizing the secret knowledge of the healing arts and resurrection (Medical practitioners still use this image as their symbol.) His healing temples were known as  Asclepieia or Asklepieia-to which people seeking to be healed would pilgrimage to. Once there, these pilgrims would stay a night or two to under go 'dream incubation'  in a sacred part of the temple, most likely under the effect of hallucinogens (poisonous plants perhaps?) during which they would be visited by the god Asclepius in the form of a snake, and either told what would cure them (which they could then have prescribed and administered on hand at the temple ) or healed in the dream space. Non-venmous snakes were often known to be free roaming in these temples and would 'whisper' cures and heal those who came to the temples, further aligning the healing nature of the snake, counter balancing its poisonous and deadly attributes.

*Details* :

- 29 mm from top to bottom

- 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 19.5 mm Hematite Sphere

Hematite:

Appearing as a gunmetal gray color and named for the Greek word for blood, hematite is a grounding and protective stone, thought to help stem excessive bleeding. It has been associated with magic, blood, and protection for centuries as well as its practical application of being a pigment. When ground down, its shiny, near silver coloring transforms into a reddish hue akin to the color of dried blood. It is the very same pigment used in prehistoric cave paintings and has also been used as war paint. Hematite was also used as an early mirror for its reflective properties, making it an object that can be used for scrying. 

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***  

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