IMPORTANT:  This necklace is a special offering. We do not know if more will be created and for that reason, recommend Express Shipping with Signature required upon delivery to ensure it arrives safely in your hands.

This necklace is Ready To Ship and will leave the studio in 3 - 5 business days.

Please Note: This necklace will be created with an 30" bar link chain. If you desire a different chain length you must reach out to us immediately after placing your order for a custom quote on the additional length.

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 gray moonstone 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, or approximately 2 1/2 inches from top to bottom, including jump ring

-  17 mm wide

- Solid Sterling Silver  

- Both pendant and chain are hand oxidized to achieve our favorite shade of stormy gray and then highlighted to reveal the bright luminous silver beneath.

- Set with one 12 mm round gray moonstone cabochon 

Gray Moonstone:

Gray moonstone shares many of the same metaphysical properties as the rest of the moonstone family. It is closely tied to the moon, with some cultures believing the stone is solidified moon rays, while others think of them as embodiments of the moon's tears. Acting as a kind of Psychic armor, it is thought to protect its wearer from not only dark nights, but dark times; it helps sooth grief, loss, and other emotional turbulence. Moonstone is also known for its powerful psychic abilities. Used to protect empaths & sensitives from absorbing other people's emotions, it is known to be used during meditation for connecting to ones inner selves. As a romantic stone, it is known to strengthen the bonds between lovers when given as gifts, especially during the full moon. 

This jewel is hand cut and therefore may have small signs of the carver's hands. As this has not been fabricated by a machine, it has been made by hand and therefore isn't uniformly perfect. The photographs accurately portray the quality of the stone. 

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