IMPORTANT: This jewel is limited and we are unsure if they'll be available again in the future. We recommend Express Shipping with signature required upon delivery to best ensure it arrives safely in your hands. 

PLEASE NOTE : This bracelet is available in 7 or 8 inches from end to end on our oversized bar link chain. Please leave your desired length in the special instruction section or send us an email after your order has been placed. 

The unusual and striking Bleeding Heart Flower (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) was originally native to the woodlands of Asia where it thrived in the early Spring light before the tree canopy leafed out. Brought to England in the 1800’s by plant hunters who were fascinated by its unique shape and bright color, the flowers became stars of the Victorian garden boom. There it became part of the language of flowers and was exchanged between those seeking to declare romantic intention, as well as becoming a symbol of enduring affection and undying love due to its shape and seasonal return. 

Despite these more romantic associations, it was also associated with heartbreak and unrequited love, both due to the “bleeding” aspect of the flower and as well as folklore from Japan. This folklore tells a tale about a spurned prince who’s death after being rejected from a beautiful maiden caused the plant to grow in the spot where his blood had spilled. 

From Asia it was introduced to the US, which already had native variants of its own, including the pale white/pink Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis), known to the indigenous people of Northern America. Used for skin aliments and to ease menstrual cramping, it was also considered food for the spirits by the the Onondaga, as well as a love charm to the Menominee. 

Religious groups associated it with sacrifice and compassion, especially around Easter and Spring, when it returned in bloom; considering the “blood” of the flower to be the blood shed on the cross. There is also some history that a Jesuit priest may have first brought back the Asian Bleeding Heart in the 1700’s before it was popularized in Victorian gardens. This association makes me think of the symbolism of the Sacred Heart, the worship of the disembodied heart of a deity, wounded & bleeding, and yet radiant and strange. 

Interestingly, despite and perhaps because of their beauty, all variants of Bleeding Heart flowers are poisonous to animals and humans alike, however are important for early pollinators such as bees who are able to crawl inside the opening of the heart. There’s something about this dualism that intrigues me, poison and love intermingling in a strange and beautiful flower that had originally grown hidden in the woods.

What I have loved most about it, aside from its Victorian associations, is its symbolism with heartbreak. To me they resemble heart shaped lockets overwhelmed and split open by grief, our heart’s blood spilling out ~ our sweetness and our sorrow caught in a single drop that hovers like a pendulum from the portals of our hearts, suspended forever like a lure for someone to collect. The hope that our hearts, no matter how wounded, can be mended, they we can remain tender and vulnerable to others and to the world’s marvels rather than tuck ourselves away in the deep forests of despair.

 *Details* :

- 7 or 8 inches in length (including clasp | length is approximate within a 1/4 of an inch in either direction based on jumprings)

- Charms will be shifted to to ensure the hearts are spaced out with the overall chain length chosen

- Miguel's wrist is 6.75" around and the bracelet worn measures 7 inches including clasp 

- The charms consist of two small 'open' bleeding heart flowers, and two small 'closed' bleeding heart flowers

- Flowers, chain and findings are all solid sterling silver: oxidized to achieve a stormy gray and hand polished to reveal the luminous silver tones beneath  

- For comfort, durability, and longevity, we have created this bracelet with the oversized version of our sterling silver signature bar link chain. The clasp has also been updated to match the strength of the chain. 

***IMPORTANT***               

Visit the Policy Page to make an educated and informed purchase HERE.

This jewel is handmade to order, just for you, with care and focus. Please allow approximately 6 - 8 weeks for creation before shipping.

If you have further questions, we are always here to serve you in a kind and timely manner: via info@bloodmilkjewels.com