The wildly destructive 1600 BC explosion at Thera (ancient Santorini) packed the power of several hundred atomic bombs, and traces of its debris were discovered as far away as Greenland. There are also references in ancient Egyptian and Chinese texts to a freezing summer where the sky turned yellow and frost killed all the crops. This is likely due to the eruption of ash and sulfur that clouded the atmosphere in many parts of the world.

The citizens of Akrotiri, a civilization at the foot of the volcano, seemed to know it was coming. When the village was later excavated from below many meters of ash, there were no human remains or valuables to be found. This leads archeologists to suspect that they evacuated by boat prior to the eruption. Unfortunately, it’s also believed that the massive ensuing tsunami prevented any survivors from reaching the safety of another island.

My "Tsunami Necklace" is an ode to Thera’s eruption and to the lost citizens of Akrotiri. A spike of Herkimer quartz represents Thera, with concentric circle waves radiating out to the islands of pyrite-included glowing blue quartz. The tiny glass stone at the end of the chain represents the fiery lava, always waiting quietly below the surface…

Length is 16 inches plus a 4 inch extender. Approximate pendant dimensions are 2.25 x 1.75 inches.

100% sterling silver. Hand-fabricated. Ready to ship.

Part of the Aegean Dream Collection, 9/28/23.