From the maker

IMPORTANT: This strand is One of a Kind based on the small quantity of pearls and gray moonstones we were able to source and for that reason, recommend Express Shipping with Signature required upon delivery to ensure it arrives safely in your hands.

This strand is Ready To Ship and will leave the studio in 3 - 5 business days.

A strand composed in honor of the sea: petal like baroque pearls are joined with tiny rice pearls, oblong shaped pearls and ghostly gray 'full moon' moonstone beads that appear white. This pale and luminscient strand evokes the softer side of protection, the feeling of being carefully cupped in a shell, fiercely guarded yet awash in layers of iridescent comfort.

Additionally, this strand reminds me of the times I've stood at the edge of the sea and thrown things back into her waters: shells, wave worn stones, flowers, ribbons of wet seaweed that drifted ashore, all as offerings of grief or remembrance at night under a shining pearl moon. Perhaps there's something you've offered the sea that you still remember, a petal you still hold against your heart ?

Details :

- This strand is comprised of round, oblong, and baroque pearls paired with light gray moonstones and sterling silver beads.

- At it's closure is our Largest Eye clasp, meant to be a talisman of comfort and protection.

- Approximately 34.5 inches in length including clasp

- Eye clasp, and jump rings are all solid sterling silver, hand oxidized to achieve our favorite gloomy grey and finished to highlight the shining silver beneath.

- The clasp is tactile in nature making it easily held between the tips of your fingers and rubbed for comfort in times of grief, anxiety, dissociation, as well as during moments of joy and wonder.

Pearls :

Have an ancient history of reverence as well as a long legacy of beauty. Pearls are formed when an external irritant, like a grain of sand, breaches the shell of an oyster or shelled mollusk. Once this irritant has gained entrance within the dark fleshy confines of the oyster, it goes to work protecting itself. If this irritant can’t be expelled, it begins to ‘bandage’ the grain, coating it with concentric rings of calcium carbonate, named ‘narce.’ Each layer that is built up forms the shape of the pearl, awash in a brilliant iridescence, a beauty born of a tiny trespass. Thusly, a pearl has at its center, the object of its creation, a foreign intruder.

I associate the pearl and its strange construction to so many things: the jellied caterpillar struggling within a chrysalis, its liquefied body forms a new winged shape. An embedded star smoldering within the shell of our hearts. An ink dot, a pin prick, a moon in miniature. History, who has always loved and revered the pearl, writes that we once believed pearls were the result of lightning striking the shell and penetrating the inner skins of the oyster. A small beauty made in duress, a ‘stone’ of initiation. To possess a pearl means to own something that is hidden, sacred.

Lore has it that Cleopatra, to win a wager with Antony, dissolved a large, exquisite pearl in her drinking glass. She swallowed it in one sip. I wonder about her dreams that night.

Gray Moonstone:

Gray moonstone shares many of the same metaphysical properties as the rest of the moonstone family. It is closely tied to the moon, with some cultures believing the stone is solidified moon rays, while others think of them as embodiments of the moon's tears. Acting as a kind of Psychic armor, it is thought to protect its wearer from not only dark nights, but dark times; it helps sooth grief, loss, and other emotional turbulence. Moonstone is also known for its powerful psychic abilities. Used to protect empaths & sensitives from absorbing other people's emotions, it is known to be used during meditation for connecting to ones inner selves. As a romantic stone, it is known to strengthen the bonds between lovers when given as gifts, especially during the full moon.

Please note that these pearls and gray moonstones are entirely natural and earth made. The color and clarity will vary from bead to bead; every one of them has been hand selected for its quality and beauty.