Blood Milk Jewels
*Sold Out* The Planchette Moth. Rose Quartz Necklace.
$250.00
Blood Milk Jewels
*Sold Out* The Planchette Moth. Rose Quartz Necklace.
$250.00
This specific collection of Rose Quartz stones are very pale with almost no inclusions. They are some of the highest quality stones we have ever witnessed and we do not know if we will be able to offer this specific tone and clarity again.
Because these stones are somewhat limited, we are not able to accommodate requests for specific stone color preferences**
This listing is for our Planchette Moth pendant set with rose quartz, paired with our signature bar link chain at 18 inches. If you would prefer a different length ( 16 to 24 inches ) please reach out to us via email after your order has been placed.
Both pendant and chain are oxidized to achieve our favorite shade of stormy gray and then hand finished to reveal the bright luminous silver highlights.
Details
-47mm from wing tip to wing tip
-25mm from top of antenna to bottom of wing
-solid sterling silver
-5mm x 7mm fine cut pear rose quartz
-shown on model with 20" chain
The Planchette Moth is an homage to a drawing my husband (drawn in homage to my original Planchette Moth design), Aaron Horkey drew in New Orleans hotel room in the French Quarter in November of 2016 for Sam (of Haute Macabre) & myself to get tattooed by her partner, Jordan Barlow. It has since evolved into a beloved symbol; imbued with friendship, love, and my obsessions with transformation and the afterlife.
Moths are ancient; fossils of them have been dated to be around 190-201 million years old, making them older than butterflies. Their bodies undergo intense transformation: first, the caterpillar weaves itself a silky cocoon to change within. This radical transformation includes a near total disintegration of their previous bodies into a kind of jelly, while still retaining memory. The body begins to reshape itself into what it will become while within this dark and creatively fertile place, and once it is ready, it emerges, a creature with wings and the ability to fly.
This communion with the self in the dark velvet of the cocoon, and with transformation, often links the moth to those seeking or undergoing major psychic shifts in their lives or within their bodies/psyches. Moths are nocturnal and are said to be ‘led by moonlight.’ This natural proclivity also links them to the underworld, the realms of the unconscious; in some cultures, they are believed to be the signs of the spirits of the recent dead.
This design is also inspired by my continuing struggles with grief and my interests in the many tales of the afterlife, as well as the question many of my planchette and Spiritualist inspired jewels asks: Are we capable of continuing a relationship with our dead? For most, periods of grief are often lonely and isolated times. During the intensity of the start of my dance with grief, the planchette became a personal symbol to me and for the love that endures after death. The Planchette (as a separate object from the Spirit Board) has long been used as a tool for automatic writing, for connecting to the unconscious. Later, it would become associated with spirit communication and Séance. Here, the moth has become a symbolic winged messenger, ferrying messages from different planes of existence, between the inner and outer selves, between the living and the dead.
My favorite lore around this stone concerns the Goddesses Isis and Aphrodite / Venus, which are all connected by similar attributes and were conjoined when the Romans annexed Egypt. The Egyptian Goddess Isis, one of the most revered deities over time, is believed to have used Rose Quartz "maintain her eternal youth and divine beauty" and therefore influenced the beauty culture ( see above ) in ancient times. Aphrodite is the Greek iteration of Venus, with whom she is often syncretized - sharing many overlapping traits: such as her beauty, passion and pleasure, love, and fertility. Each Goddess was considered to be a standard of ideal beauty and representative of love, yet also each was associated with the enemy of love - death. Isis, in a gruesome yet romantic gesture, collected the disembodied pieces of her murdered brother/husband Osiris, and resurrected him - becoming impregnated with Horus simultaneously. This myth was revered in Ancient Egypt, fertility rituals around Osiris' resurrection abounded.
For the Greeks, one of the most popular myths centering Aphrodite is also a genesis tale for Rose Quartz in and of itself : Aphrodite fell in love with the beautiful mortal Adonis who was killed by a wild boar ( perhaps a jealous Ares in disguise, or sent by Artemis as punishment ). As he lay dying in the forest, Aphrodite came to his side, herself also bleeding after becoming tangled and wounded in a bramble bush. Their co-mingled blood is thought to have fallen on Quartz, ever after giving Rose Quartz is pink hue. Adonis, like Osiris, was also resurrected in some tellings and his tale was also associated with grieving rituals in connection to the natural cycles of life.
Personally, I've struggled both with writing about Rose Quartz as well as pairing it with my jewelry. It's a stone that has long been deeply connected with the romantic aspects of love, healing, forgiveness, beauty and well-being - but for me, I've shied away or have had discomfort with each of these notions and descriptors. Each of them has also been, for me, tangled up with grief and death - shadow feelings. However, while I think Rose Quartz often lacks its shadow in popular descriptions of it - I think it's powerful for these exact reasons. As much as it is beautiful, it is often turned to as a balm during our worst moments - the ugly and horrific times of heart brokenness; representing our hearts in all their nuance - capable of the beauty of love but also the madness of loss. In this way, it illustrates the tensions between beauty and horror I unconsciously & consciously seek in everything. It is a phoenix, burning down like the Tower into ashes but also comforts us while we rise from the rubble. It is a fierce shield that guards us, but it is also has a soothing gentleness. In this way each Rose Quartz jewel carries a dual aspect of 'psychic armor' both the energies and medicines of the snakes and bats that form the gloomy silver settings of the jewels, and Rose Quartz, a beautiful balm that assists us during our darkness moments, a reminder of the sweet-bitterness of being alive on this timeline.
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***
This jewel is handmade to order, just for you, with care and focus. Due to the influx of orders during our Rose Quartz Sale, please allow approximately 5 - 6 weeks for creation before shipping.
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