IMPORTANT: This jewel is limited and we do not know if they'll be available again in the future. We recommend Express Shipping with signature required upon delivery to make sure it arrives safely in your hands. 

Please note : You must either leave your ring size in the notes section while going through the check out process or reach out to us via email ~ bloodmilkjewels@gmail.com ~ after placing your order to confirm your ring size.

We cannot begin creating your ring until your ring size is confirmed. Because these stones are very limited, we are not able to accommodate any requests for specific stone color preferences.

A tear shaped ‘hollow’ frame cradles a tourmalated quartz, also in the shape of a tear, representing grief or joy. A growth of lichen in the form of cast bat bones mirrors the shape of the frame.

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the painting ‘Dryad’ by Andrew Wyeth after coming across it at a recent visit to the Brandywine museum. A giant tree painted in muted shades of egg tempura fills up the composition ~ a winter tree, leafless. What dominates the eye and drew me to it from across the room like an eerie magnet was a large dark hollow. It felt alive in the way that certain paintings can be to me, & perhaps to you too. As I read the title card, I discovered how Wyeth had originally painted a figure in the hollow and then decided against it, painting over it in dark washes, that when looking closer, I could faintly see. There was something about this ghostly figure & this painting that feels tethered to every hollow feeling I’ve had lately, of every feeling of wanting to be inside this hollow, or the hollow of the oak tree near the lake where I leave roses for my grandmother & watch the bats weave through its branches at dusk, or the hollows of the trees on walks in MN that are truly only small enough for the birds.

This collection is for that feeling, a heavy heart in search of a place to rest amongst the lichen and churning earth, the trees that open up to make room. The “bat lichen” made in honor of the dusk bats near where I lost a loved one and a part of myself I’ll never see again, & where grief has taken root so firmly within me I often feel as if I’m speaking another language, and sometimes unable to speak at all, just quietly dreaming in the hollow.

Bats:

Bats and their cast wing and leg bones have long been a component I’ve used in my visual library as a way of creating a personal visual language. As nocturnal creatures, I feel a kinship with their natural predilection for the night time hours, but I’m also interested in how they use sonar to ‘see’, how as a metaphor bats as liminal creatures also remind us to look closer with our other senses, a way of ‘seeing the unseen.’ It’s my hope and intention that pairing them with other chthonic imagery and myth further adds to the visual meaning I’m aiming for, creating a collage of personal ideas while also tethering these physical jeweled objects to the spirit of the bat ( and other natural objects in the case of other jewels in my collection ) and to the spirit of the myths I’m invoking.

*Details* :

- 21 mm wide 

- 59 mm from top to bottom  

- Solid Sterling Silver and hand oxidized to achieve a stormy gray. Slightly polished reveal the luminous silver tones beneath.  

- This listing is for one necklace set with one 8 x 13mm fine cut pear Tourmalated Quartz gemstone

- Seen on Miguel on a 20 inch chain

Black Tourmaline Quartz:

Black Tourmaline Quartz is a variety of clear quartz with naturally occurring needle-like inclusions of black tourmaline. Quartz is a considered the 'Master Healer, and is known for its propensity to improve memory and bring clarity to the consciousness. In this way, it is also a helpful tool in meditation. Black Tourmaline Quartz is well known for its protection qualities, acting as psychic armor against negativity and psychic attacks. 

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