Please note: This necklace is Ready to Ship and will leave the studio in 1 - 5 business days. The chain is 20 inches in length. If you would like a different chain length you must email us with your desired length immediately after placing your order. 

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.  

When I first began BloodMilk, it was born out of significant period of grief. A wholly unexpected grief that cleaved my life into a before and after. Previous to this time, I hadn’t truly considered the afterlife, I didn’t grow up with a familial belief or had a religious culture to lean into. This led me to a period of seeking, and I began to become obsessed with Victorian era practices of mourning as well as Spiritualism in tandem to making the first pieces of BloodMilk. I had always wanted to create mourning jewelry and while I always considered ( & still do ) everything I made to be just that, I still wanted to create pieces that used symbolism from that time period. It’s taken me 16 years, but these new jewels are born from that time of intense mourning, a grief that still swims within me like a piece of sea glass: worn smooth with time but still sharp enough to wound when the waves crash just right. Each one of these three new designs were created in collaboration with my husband Aaron Horkey and made in my studio by my team here in Philadelphia.

Tempus Fugit is a Latin phrase that translates to “Time Flies” and is usually coupled with the ubiquitous phrase, Carpe Diem, “Seize the Day”. Both phrases originate from Virgil’s The Georgics, a poem written in 29 BCE.

As cemetery iconography, the winged hourglass embodies this phrase and reminds those walking by ( cemeteries were often used as parks ) that life is fleeting and death is inevitable. While this visual message appears macabre, it’s a reminder to live life to the fullest and to not “waste” time. I’m aware that these statements feel trite and overused, however, as someone prone to melancholia, it’s helpful for me to have a reminder to seek beauty daily amongst the darkness. I’m unsure what the end of my life will be like. If I live long enough to be old, to be lucky enough to still have my mind, will I look back at my life and feel as if I’ve wasted ‘time’ ? Thinking of this now, can I do something about it, in a small way, to negate a future regret? Can I surrender to living in the moment, can I attempt to stop over thinking ? I often also think about time as a healer. The hourglass is running out in the idea of ‘Time Flies’, but the hourglass, as an object, can always be flipped over, again and again and again. It represents endless time, the potential for endless transformation. A promise of transformation beyond death, the idea of death not being the end.

On a personal note, the hourglass’ wings were inspired by the wings of an owl, in remembrance of my grandmother who loved them. Owls are also able to see in the dark, & in these dark times, I wanted to add that magic to a talisman of both mourning and a call to living as fully as one can.

*Details* :

- Approximately 29 mm tall 

- Approximately 22 mm in width 

- Shown on Jess on an 18 inch chain paired with the large version on a 30 inch chain

- Seen on Miguel on a 20 inch chain

- Pendant, chain, jump rings, and clasp are all solid Sterling Silver hand oxidized to achieve our favorite shade of gloomy gray and then highlighted to reveal the bright luminous silver beneath

***IMPORTANT***                  

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