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 into your hands. 

Please note : This necklace will be created with an 18" oversized bar link chain. If you require a longer chain length please reach out to us via bloodmilkjewels@gmail.com, we are happy to quote the cost for a longer oversized bar link chain.

Our 'bat lichen', composed of life cast bat bones, frames and cradles an inky black obsidian disc and is married to our more robust bar link chain.

At the time of my writing this, we are collectively approaching the end of the year. Today marks the celebration of Saint Lucy ( see our interpretation of her here ) and the return of the light.  Where I live, colder weather has been settling in, and the flora around my home, even my beloved housebound Datura, are starting to recede to the Underworld. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the past year as I’m sure many of you are and while so much of it has been bleak, I’ve also been trying to collect the inspiration and memories I gathered to hold close like kindling to the flame of my spirit as we descend into the darker . Personally I’ve been contending with all sorts of challenges and have been nursing my grief as if it were a wounded bird, stitching parts of my ship wrecked heart back together as if I were mending a wing : carefully and with hopes of feeling whole. To fly a bit lighter. We can never truly escape the past, especially the previous versions of ourselves, but we can work towards forgiveness, we can experience moments of joy no matter how fleeting, we can engage in community, we can love…

These two Abyss designs ( see here for the Grief Snake ) are offerings to this dark time of year. Akin to look down at the bottom of a well or into the mouth of a cave, each obsidian disc is a akin to a portal. They are meant to represent what it means to journey into the darkness and to behave as companions to those who feel they are feeling within the hollow of a tree, or at the bottom of the earth looking up. 

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* :

- 74 mm from top to bottom

- 74 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 45 mm Obsidian disc cabochon 

Obsidian:  

Obsidian is ancient (first evidence of its use dates back 1.5 million years) and forms as a volcanic glass. Its rich black color and reflective surface have lent to having potent magical and divinatory uses throughout different cultures as well as having been used to form tools and cutting instruments due to its sharp edges. Metaphysically, Obsidian is a strong form of psychic protection, forming a shield against negativity, especially useful for highly sensitive people. It's also a bit of a time traveling stone, aiding in old wounds to be recognized so that healing may begin. This jewel is hand cut and therefore may have small signs of the carver's hands along the edges. The obsidian was not fabricated by a machine, they are cut and polished by hand and therefore aren't uniformly perfect. The photographs accurately portray the Obsidian.

***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