IMPORTANT: This strand is Ready to Ship. It will leave the studio in 3 - 5 business days. We do not know if it will be available again in the future. We recommend Express Shipping with signature required upon delivery to make sure it arrives safely into your hands. 

If you purchase this item with any other jewel, please be aware that our jewelry is handmade to order and takes approximately 6-8 weeks to create before shipping, meaning your Ready to Ship jewel will ship with the rest of your order. This cuts down on multiple shipping costs for you, and unnecessary waste for the environment. If you would like this Ready to Ship jewel sooner than the rest of your order, please reach out to us via email. 

Pool of Light: a collage of thoughts and images ....

 Pool of Light necklaces were designed in the Art Deco era and were created with clear quartz spheres similar to the ones seen here. Reflecting light in a 'pool' when resting on a surface or against the body, the truest to their names were 'un-drilled' so as to not interrupt the light flowing through the clear crystals. However, these necklaces each still literally *glow* in light - and make me think of the way light catches on the edges of waves during mid day - the golden hour - when everything feels peaceful and your heart and mind is attuned to the coming and going of the waves .....

Frida:

I’ve been obsessed with a particular strand of beads via Frida Kahlo’s personal collection since I saw it in its glass vitrine amongst many other pieces of her personal wardrobe. During their marriage, Diego & Frida collected many artifacts of pre-Columbian sculpture, which would have possibly enabled her to get these beads directly from an archeological excavation - as they are believed to be Mayan Jade, ritually buried with the dead.

Beads and beaded necklaces have a long, long history and were handmade and valued in nearly every ancient society up to the present day - aside from their aesthetic and grave good usage, they were also a form of currency in some cultures. Frida hand strung beads to wear, despite their heft against her small body; in this way she tethered herself to the past just as I press myself to the/her past. The strand that inspired this one has a swirl of green paint she’s believed to have purposely left - a stroke caught in time - before it had been fully mixed to a cohesive green used in her paintings. I imagine it came from several shades on her palette, collected on a brush and then carefully smoothed over an ancient bead I viewed as part of a necklace a wounded artist wore during her life, excavated from her own ‘grave goods’ sealed for years and years and now released again, evidence of a person behind the legend, the towering ghost, the broken columned muse. 

Pearl:

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  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 forming 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 darkness, 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.

Clear Quartz:

Despite its ubiquitous accessibility within the crystal kingdom, clear quartz remains one of the most potent crystals one can own, considered to be the 'Master Healer' as it can be used to assist you with any issue. Thought to be a 'memory/record keeper' that enables recall of lost memories, it also helps amplifies spiritual pursuits and increases psychic awareness. The spherical shape, akin to the traditional 'crystal ball,'  has long been a symbol of divination and magic.

Hematite:

Hematite is a natural stone that is also considered a 'Blood Stone,' since when it is ground up, it has a distinctly red color that was also used as a pigment in ancient cave paintings. As a calming stone, and a stone of the mind for its ability to focus, aid in concentration, boost confidence and self-reliance, - used by artists and writers seeking inspiration. Interestingly- its also highly protective- considered a 'warrior' stone- the ancient Greeks aligned it with Mars, their war god. 

This strand is composed of large, round, almost completely clear quartz spheres, two shapes of pale colored small pearls, and tiny faceted silver plated hematite beads. 

Worn closer to the neck, this strand measures 21.5 inches long from end to end. 

At its closure is our largest, double sided, hand carved, double sided, shell with silver pearl clasp in sterling silver, oxidized to our favorite gloomy grey and and finished to highlight the shining silver beneath.  

Designed as a special, bold statement piece, it also layers beautifully with other BloodMilk necklaces.

 I’ve been thinking of heartbreak as broken glass - over time it becomes worn smooth in the sea of our hearts- like Sea Glass. & yet- it’s still glass and can become sharp at any moment - something can remind us and the pain of our grief can become raw and sharp once again - it’s always with us. Grief isn’t linear this way, it’s a spiral, a labyrinth- and this is ok- even if it’s not ok. Each bit of sea glass we collect in our hearts are *ours* and make us who we are. bloodmilk and my ability to have connected with so many people- my husband Aaron, Jamie, Jenny, Sam, Amber, Beth, Allie, .... - so many of you who are reading this- the team I’m able to employ - wouldn’t have been possible, if not all that was born from my labyrinth walks- from my rowing my little boat on a sea of grief and loss. This collection of new mourning beads speaks to this while also honoring the immense liminal space of grief so many of us find ourselves in these days. It’s always helped me to have a tactile piece of jewelry to help me- to hold close as a touchstone- to help ‘carry’ my feelings as if it were alive. Each strand of this collection comes with a little piece of sea glass for you to do with as you wish - to throw in the sea, to bury, to keep close, or to keep in a sacred space as a gift from my heart to yours as a little lighthouse, a way for me to say I understand a little bit, even if I don’t know exactly what you are going through, even if we’ll never meet. 

***IMPORTANT***:

Some of the beads used in this strand are limited. We can not anticipate whether or not this particular style will be available again after this release. 

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

Please email any questions to bloodmilkjewels@gmail.com for a timely and kind response. 

PEARL CARE:

Pearls are naturally much softer than the majority of gemstones we work with and use in our bead strands and require more care. 

-Your pearls should be considered a special occasion piece and not necessarily for daily wear.

-We do not recommend applying perfume or hairspray when you are wearing them.

-Pearls are easily scratched. Do not store them with other jewels. 

-They should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off.