This necklace is Ready to Ship and will leave the studio in 3 - 5 business days. The chain is 30 inches in length. This photo is of the specific stone you will be receiving. This is a dark, but still translucent, blue violet. 

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. 

The kerykeion or caduceus ( not to be confused with the rod of Asclepius which features a single snake & would have been more fitting as a symbol of medicine ) is a herald / staff  that was given to Hermes/Mercury by Apollo as a trade for his turtle Lyre. Golden & powerful, it has the ability to both awaken and drowse humans, transform & heal, assist in negotiations & commerce, & turn things into gold ( thus  Hermes’ symbolic association with Alchemy ). 

The twin snakes of the staff represented opposites in harmony, such as the poison and the drug, life and death, the masculine and feminine archetypes within the binary, chaos and order and so on. In art, such as statues, tiled mosaics and paintings they are depicted as writhing & alive rather than appearing as fixed parts of the staff. Here, his staff has been reimagined with life cast snake rib bones braided together & holding a solar disc in honor of Apollo, a dark Sun or eclipsed Sun, in the form of a polished hematite cabochon. 

Designed with writers in mind, as Hermes / Mercury is a deity was know for his aspect of communication & language as well as his links to memory & learning/knowledge which gesture towards writing even though he is not specifically a God of it. As a traveler & as someone in a long distance relationship, I also appreciate his attribute as a protector of travelers. 

He is also one of the psychopomps~ guiding souls to the Underworld, marking him as a chthonic deity. Despite this, I always viewed him as being as part of the sky as a child, always flitting about with his winged feet, a humanoid hummingbird. Betwixt & both. 

Known best for being the messenger between Gods & humans, I’ve always loved Hermes most for his mercurial ways & have always hoped for his help in guiding my pen.

*Details* :

-  64 mm from top to bottom

-  17 mm wide

-  Set with one 12 mm smooth round Purple Labradorite cabochon 

- Solid sterling silver: oxidized to achieve a stormy gray. Hand polished to reveal the luminous silver tones beneath.   

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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