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 necklace will be created with an 18" bar link chain. If you desire a different chain length, it's important that you email us immediately after placing your order. 

Rich with old world lore, the Mandragora officinarum ( is perhaps the plant that is most potent in power, associated with the witch via the Goddess Hekate and the Devil. Granting a variety of powers to its keepers such as fertility, wealth, abundance, invisibility, divination, and protection, the Mandrake’s potency and properties have survived through the ages more so than any other plant in the Witch’s Garden. Toxic and hallucinogenic, its roots were used as one of the ingredients in the witches ‘flying ointment’, as well as an anesthetic for surgery by the Greeks for the same properties.

Thought to be part human due to its slightly humanoid roots, which were further carved to appear so when dried, they were as expensive and rare to procure hundreds of years ago as they are now. In the case of the Mandragora being treated as a spirit charm, it would be carefully treated, fed and dressed weekly, and even be passed from father to son upon death. To harvest a Mandrake from the ground was risk death by its unearthly shrieks: so black dogs were called upon to do this work while people stoppered their ears. All of this risk, the demon residing in the roots, the fear of the devil, was worth the abundance, good fortune, love and magic the Mandrake could bring into the lives of its keepers. Much as it is today.

The Dreaming Mandragora was wrought in 2020 and sleeps eternal in sterling silver. Here she is made of smooth humanoid roots, in lieu of a head, her leaves are veined with fine strands of hair. Sculpted during a time of uncertainty and anxiety, she was a comfort to my dreaming self ( another magical function of the Mandrake, a guardian of the dream world ). I longed to be without a head to over think with; as a perpetual dreamer, I hoped for a night without nightmares/dreams.

It feels very much the same now. I wish to be rooted in the soil of the earth, safe & buried. A root with arms stretched over my head, leaves soaking up the rain, the sun, feeling only the grazing breath of animals and birds. I wish to have the magical potency of Mandragora, rumored to be around the neck of Joan of Arc. A dragon, a demon. A witch’s familiar. We’re offering her now in a way we haven’t before in hopes she can be a comfort to you, a guardian, a companion, a bringer of good fortune, a protector. Treat her well if you welcome her into your home.

*Details* :

- 2.5 inches wide 

- 3 inches from top to bottom of tear

- Solid sterling silver: oxidized to achieve a stormy gray. Hand polished to reveal the luminous silver tones beneath.  

- Seen on Miguel on a 18 inch chain

- Set with one 8 x 13 Pear Cut Garnet Stone

Garnet:

Garnet is seemingly named for a few things, the most interesting and well known being that of the Pomegranate, named for either its glowing red color or its relational look to the seeds within when polished. This has tied it to the myth of the Goddess Persephone in some of its lore, who is as inseparable to the Pomegranate and its fateful seeds as Eve is to the apple of Eden. This association, admittedly, is what first drew me to Garnet, but its long and storied history, spanning many cultures and parts of the world is as fascinating as just about any other gemstone of my acquaintance. I also fell for its uncanny beauty, which  like a glowing ember one can wear on the skin, appears alive like fire does. 

As an ancient gemstone, the Egyptians knew of its power and beauty, which seems to be the seal of magical authenticity on the stone as it was found not only amongst grave goods but also within the settings of talismans wrapped in the layers of mummies to protect the body on its journey to the afterlife. I imagine it being present with its wearer before the weighing of the heart, as it’s a stone closely aligned with the heart ( akin in this way, to Rose Quartz. ) 

Created under extreme pressure and temperatures in the darkness of the subterranean realms, Garnet persists and thrives under these difficult circumstances - suggesting strength and personal resiliency. It’s also, like the Phoenix, associated with fire and its transformative properties, rising from extremely high temperatures. It’s considered to be a stone of creativity, as it’s ‘blood’ colored and associated with fire and the heart, ( as mentioned above) suggesting a quickening of the blood, a call to creative action, passion.

This passion also extends to both romantic and platonic relationships, the stone was given to strengthen bonds between friends and lovers due to its association with the Persephone myth in a strange nod to how Pomegranate seeds kept Persephone bond to the Underworld for part of the year/ being returned to the Upper realms for Spring/Summer, ( this also made it a traveler’s stone) as well as for its color being similar to heart’s blood. 

Another interesting bit : in the Medieval Ages it was considered to ward off Melancholy and also, interestingly, to be the material that Dragon’s eyes were made of. 

All in all, Garnet is a wildly magical and highly potent stone, beautiful, ancient and intense; a personal raging fire to keep close- to remind you that you belong to the land of the living. To quicken the blood when feeling otherwise.

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. Please allow approximately 6-8 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