I've always had a fascination with Crows. Coming from a small town near the sea, I often dealt with the presence of these birds; their dark, inky coloring, their ominous cawing heralding messages from the unseen, their seemingly otherworldliness.

In many cultures, the Crow, more so that other birds of prey because they eat carrion, have been linked to the Underworld as as liminal, supernatural creatures, living in between the realm of the natural, living world, and the realm of the unseen, of the dead, ferrying messages to and fro these earthly and spiritual planes.

Here, Crow is seen as an abstraction, all that remains is its claw, forged forever in sterling silver and clasping a 'real' disc of convex magnifying glass. This spy glass acts as a symbol for ways of seeing and "looking closer". Magnifying lenses, in theory, enable the small things we are unable to see clearly, be shown with more clarity by being enlarged when placed beneath the glass. While the piece is fully functional as an object, as a talisman it urges its wearer to look closer, to seek the unseen, whether that be examining our feelings and our unconscious with a deeper gaze, our turning our sights to others, to recognize and understand the struggle of our friends, peers and community, to foster a deeper sense of empathy. 

Lastly, within Alchemy, the image Crow is symbolized as the first stage of the trasformative process or 'Nigredo'. This stage involved the blackening or cooking of the alchemical ingredients to begin the pathway to the final stage, or the Philosopher's Stone. Within Carl Jung's interpretation of Alchemy as an "Inner Alchemy", this first stage causes the individual to confront their Shadow Self, the start of a deep descent into a union of the conscious with the unconscious. 

Details:

- 1.75 inches at it's widest 

- 3.5 inches from top to bottom 

- Solid Sterling Silver  

- Shown on Melissa with 30 inch chain 

- 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  

- Last image shows this necklace with our smaller Starling Claw Oracle Necklace for scale

Spyglass:

Magnifying lenses magnify the small things we are unable to see clearly when placed beneath the glass, acting as a large, powerful ‘eye’. While the glass is fully functional as an object/tool, as a talisman it urges its wearer to look closer, to see/feel the invisible: whether that be by examining our feelings and our Shadow with a deeper gaze or turning our sights to others; to mindfully ‘see’ our friends, lovers, family, and community: to foster a deeper sense of empathy, to spark the current of transformation.

*Please note glass is hand cast and may have slight waves and / or imperfections in it. Please note that while this lens does magnify, it is not a professional grade magnifying lens. 

***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