IMPORTANT: Available for Purchase Friday December 5th at 3PM EST through Friday December 19th at 11:59PM EST

PLEASE NOTE : We are excited to extend a discounted price to our clients, this entire collection has been marked down 10%. 

When I first began BloodMilk, it was born out of significant period of grief. A wholly unexpected grief that cleaved my life into a before and after. Previous to this time, I hadn’t truly considered the afterlife, I didn’t grow up with a familial belief or had a religious culture to lean into. This led me to a period of seeking, and I began to become obsessed with Victorian era practices of mourning as well as Spiritualism in tandem to making the first pieces of BloodMilk. I had always wanted to create mourning jewelry and while I always considered ( & still do ) everything I made to be just that, I still wanted to create pieces that used symbolism from that time period. It’s taken me 16 years, but these new jewels are born from that time of intense mourning, a grief that still swims within me like a piece of sea glass: worn smooth with time but still sharp enough to wound when the waves crash just right. Each one of these three new designs were created in collaboration with my husband Aaron Horkey and made in my studio by my team here in Philadelphia.

The weeping willow tree is perhaps one of the most common gravestone symbols from the 18th-19th centuries. Due to its long ‘weeping’ branches and the way rain runs off it leaves like tears, the willow tree has long been associated with mourning imagery. It was believed that willow trees would help share the burden of sadness while sitting beneath them, as they would cry along with you, or for you. Aside from being symbols of grief and sadness, they are also simultaneously symbols of resilience and rebirth, as they can endure having many of their branches cut off without causing mortal damage. Their branches can also bend without breaking, making them a symbol of resiliency in times of heartbreak, grief or other difficult periods of ones life. 

The urn doesn’t always appear alongside willow trees in mourning imagery, but here I’m suggesting specific remembrance: wear in honor of someone you’ve lost as a way to help you grieve, allowing the willow tree to assist you carrying your sadness. It can also be worn for the death of other things that can be stored in the ‘urn’, cremated to dust and in need of healing: the ending of a dream, the ending of a certain period of your life, the ending of a relationship, the wish for the ending of a part of you you’d like to change or let go of, the ending of a place you loved but no longer do, the ending of something or someone that’s no longer healthy for you but that still needs to be mourned …. We all experiences ‘deaths’ in our lives outside of mortal death, and these can all be honored and grieved, here, with the help of the resilient willow tree.

*Details* :

- 29 mm tall 

- 20 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

- Shown on Jess on an 18 inch chain paired with the large version on a 30 inch chain

- Seen on Miguel on a 20 inch chain

- Last photo shown with the larger version which can be found Here

***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 info@bloodmilkjewels.com