Blood Milk Jewels
Self-Portrait in Endless Night. One of a Kind Strand.
$1,400.00
Blood Milk Jewels
Self-Portrait in Endless Night. One of a Kind Strand.
$1,400.00
Named in honor of Frida Kahlo and her self-portraits, this shorter, chunkier strand was created with her personal jewelry collection in mind, specifically the large bead strands she wore, despite their heavier weight and which were most likely Mayan grave relics.
A strand of the most stunning Moonstone 'planets' each one personally selected for their 'magic' glitter or flash - a strand of the heavens, yet made deep in the Earth - in the Underworld.....
- As Above~ So Below ~
‘Some are born to sweet delight
Some are born to endless night’
-William Blake
The’ Self-Portrait’ series was born after I had the opportunity to view the exhibition of Frida Kahlo’s personal belongings and clothing at the Brooklyn museum in 2019.
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.
Photos of these beads do not do them justice, as no photos of moonstone really do. Associated with magic, they feel like a spell, otherworldly. It’s hard to believe these are earth made, even harder to believe they are made underground, in the dark when they seem to contain so much light, so much luminescence.
The large brown moonstone beads included in this strand are all so unique and reminiscent of those used in our previous 'Self-Portrait in the Labyrinth' strand. They remind me of the ‘black’ moonstone sold by crystal dealers in spheres, palm stones and free forms; I had never come across them as beads before last year. I feel each one has its own spirit inside, carries its own magic.
Multiple members of the team have called these moonstone beads ‘planets’ because that’s how incredible the flash is on each bead, from each view they shine. Some even contain what I like to call ‘crystal glitter’ - what appears to be clusters of star dust trapped inside the hard surface of the sphere as well as inclusion lines that make them look like the rings that encircle planets in space.
This strand is composed of large, round, brown moonstone spheres, varying shades of grey moonstone, and hollow sterling silver 'Pearl' beads that have been hand oxidized and lightly polished. Designed to be worn closer to the neck, this strand measures approximately 20 inches long from end to end, including clasp.
These shorter strands feel like a balm to me, when I’m wearing mine I find myself turning them around in my fingers, truly forging a relationship with these crystals.
At its closure is our larger, double sided Endless Night clasp cast in sterling silver. At the 'heart' of the strand is our larger, double sided Endless Night Key. You can find information about the Endless Night Key HERE.
As a special, bold statement piece, it also layers beautifully with other BloodMilk necklaces.
**IMPORTANT***:
This strand will ship within the next 4 weeks.
*Length note: Because individual bead measurements vary slightly, total strand lengths are approximate within a few millimeters in either direction. Please reach out via email if you have any questions about this.
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.
