IMPORTANT: This jewel is limited and we do not know if it will 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" bar link chain. If you desire a different chain length you must reach out to us immediately after placing your order. Please be aware due to the limited amount of stones we are unable to accommodate any stone preferences. 

The Tear Collector/s series was created with the idea that these talismanic jewels could act as assistance to moments of intense emotions : be that grief, sorrow, anger, or more "gentle" yet persistent states of being such as melancholy, that the wearer may struggle with. The twin scorpions as well as the gemstone 'tear' act as both guardians as well as the ever persistent myth of the tear catcher bottle ~ collecting your 'tears' for you, helping carry your intense emotions and grief by way of being a tactile object that can be held, rubbed and pressed on to call you back into your body or make you feel less alone should you choose to develop a relationship with your jewelry. 

The practice of jewelry being imbued with sentiment and meaning beyond its object-ness is about as old as jewelry is, worn for many reasons ~ including love, friendship, status, as well as mourning and remembrance. These scorpions are particularly tactile, with their stingers being slightly sharp to their spindly legs and the groves of their abdomens. Lastly, their gemstone tears, a stand in for your own, is a stunning pear cut Rose Quartz stone. 

Scorpion:

Over 400 millions years old (older than the Dinosaur or the Spider) the ancient Scorpion has been an image of both destruction and healing over the ages. Like the Spider, it is both nocturnal and poisonous, carrying potent venom in its stinger as well as a fierce strength in its front pincers. Many species of Scorpion are subterranean, often waiting underground in solitude, emerging to ensnare and devour its prey. This links Scorpion the Underworld like Spider; its unconscious, instinctual nature helps him conquer transformation within the shadowy depths.

Often feared with venom strong enough in some species to mortally poison man, these Scorpions act as a protective talisman and also a talisman of transformation. As an added layer of meaning: Scorpion also speaks to the Shadow Self of Carl Jung’s ideas on ‘Inner Alchemy’. Its ability to transform, its destructive and links to the underworld ( realm of shades and shadows) underline the idea of the Shadow; which is seen as the repressed, unwanted or unaccepted parts of oneself.

An extension of ‘Darkling, I Listen’ ~ this collection of jewels urges the wearer to move towards self-acceptance through the jewels as talismans. The process of individuation or transmutation is the process of becoming ‘whole’. For Jung, this didn’t mean becoming ‘good’, but becoming complete in the sense that one accepts all of their unconscious ‘faults’ as well as their experiences (their pasts) to become whole or complete. In ‘Inner Alchemy’ each phase of the alchemical process from antiquity was re-assigned new meanings: i.e. the quest for the philosopher's stone is truly a quest to become whole. In the 'Nigredo' process, everything is blackened, putrefied, 'killed' in a sense, to allow for new growth. It is during this phase in 'Inner Alchemy' that we are confronted with the knowledge our darker aspects, a phase in which we must accept our shadow selves. When we accept and acknowledge our more shadowy aspects, the parts of ourselves we have been conditioned to suppress, the parts of ourselves we hide from others as well as ourselves, we are on the path to wholeness. We become more accepting of our flaws, our darknesses. Having struggled with my own shadow self for many years, this talisman represents not only that long tangle with ‘darkness’, but our ability to become whole.

*Details* :

- 81mm at it's widest 

- 68mm from top to bottom 

- Solid Sterling Silver  

- 8mm x 13mm fine cut pear Rose Quartz 

- Shown on Miguel with 20 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

Rose Quartz: According to fossil evidence, Rose Quartz, known the world over for its beautiful pink coloring, is at least 35 million years old, with records dating back to 600 B.C.. During that time, it was given amongst lovers, family and friends as love tokens. It was also used in beauty rituals as far back as Ancient Egypt where evidence of it as facial masks has been found in tombs amongst grave goods. Metaphysically, it is best known as the master 'love stone', used in love spells, helpful in matters of self-confidence, anger, disappointment, and seemingly always mentioned in tandem with "healing" - a word so dense with promise it makes me both hopeful and strangely put off. I feel a bit lonely in my discomfort; I've never been one to only seek beauty in its traditional forms and it seems like Rose Quartz is the fairest of them all -the glittering prom queen who about to have a bucket of blood poured on her.

My favorite lore around this stone concerns the Goddesses Isis and Aphrodite / Venus, which are all connected by similar attributes and were conjoined when the Romans annexed Egypt. The Egyptian Goddess Isis, one of the most revered deities over time, is believed to have used Rose Quartz "maintain her eternal youth and divine beauty" and therefore influenced the beauty culture ( see above ) in ancient times. Aphrodite is the Greek iteration of Venus, with whom she is often syncretized - sharing many overlapping traits: such as her beauty, passion and pleasure, love, and fertility. Each Goddess was considered to be a standard of ideal beauty and representative of love, yet also each was associated with the enemy of love - death. Isis, in a gruesome yet romantic gesture, collected the disembodied pieces of her murdered brother/husband Osiris, and resurrected him - becoming impregnated with Horus simultaneously. This myth was revered in Ancient Egypt, fertility rituals around Osiris' resurrection abounded.

For the Greeks, one of the most popular myths centering Aphrodite is also a genesis tale for Rose Quartz in and of itself : Aphrodite fell in love with the beautiful mortal Adonis who was killed by a wild boar ( perhaps a jealous Ares in disguise, or sent by Artemis as punishment ). As he lay dying in the forest, Aphrodite came to his side, herself also bleeding after becoming tangled and wounded in a bramble bush. Their co-mingled blood is thought to have fallen on Quartz, ever after giving Rose Quartz is pink hue. Adonis, like Osiris, was also resurrected in some tellings and his tale was also associated with grieving rituals in connection to the natural cycles of life.

Personally, I've struggled both with writing about Rose Quartz as well as pairing it with my jewelry. It's a stone that has long been deeply connected with the romantic aspects of love, healing, forgiveness, beauty and well-being - but for me, I've shied away or have had discomfort with each of these notions and descriptors. Each of them has also been, for me, tangled up with grief and death - shadow feelings. However, while I think Rose Quartz often lacks its shadow in popular descriptions of it - I think it's powerful for these exact reasons. As much as it is beautiful, it is often turned to as a balm during our worst moments - the ugly and horrific times of heart brokenness; representing our hearts in all their nuance - capable of the beauty of love but also the madness of loss. In this way, it illustrates the tensions between beauty and horror I unconsciously & consciously seek in everything. It is a phoenix, burning down like the Tower into ashes but also comforts us while we rise from the rubble. It is a fierce shield that guards us, but it is also has a soothing gentleness. In this way each Rose Quartz jewel carries a dual aspect of 'psychic armor' both the energies and medicines of the snakes and bats that form the gloomy silver settings of the jewels, and Rose Quartz, a beautiful balm that assists us during our darkness moments, a reminder of the sweet-bitterness of being alive on this timeline.’

These jewels are hand cut and therefore may have small signs of the carver's hands along the edges. These have not been fabricated by a machine, they have been made by hand and therefore aren't uniformly perfect. The photographs accurately portray the quality of the stones. 

***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