IMPORTANT: This jewel is limited and we do not know if they'll be available again in the future. We recommend Express Shipping with signature required upon delivery to make sure it arrives safely in your hands. 

Please note : This necklace will be created with an 26" bar link chain. If you desire a different chain length you must reach out to us immediately after placing your order. 

Framed in cast bat bones, a slightly convex magnifying glass lens stands in for the ‘hollow’ of a tree. Fully functional, the hidden handle is covered in “bat lichen” also composed in cast bat bones. When imagining a new spyglass jewel for this collection, I imagined a need for examining every strange and tiny thing one might come across if able to explore a tree hollow, while also knowing the rest we may need from over thinking of or over examining both ourselves and others. Wear as a talisman for curiosity, for looking closer and for inviting new ways of “seeing” into your life, while tucked away in your own hollow.

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the painting ‘Dryad’ by Andrew Wyeth after coming across it at a recent visit to the Brandywine museum. A giant tree painted in muted shades of egg tempura fills up the composition ~ a winter tree, leafless. What dominates the eye and drew me to it from across the room like an eerie magnet was a large dark hollow. It felt alive in the way that certain paintings can be to me, & perhaps to you too. As I read the title card, I discovered how Wyeth had originally painted a figure in the hollow and then decided against it, painting over it in dark washes, that when looking closer, I could faintly see. There was something about this ghostly figure & this painting that feels tethered to every hollow feeling I’ve had lately, of every feeling of wanting to be inside this hollow, or the hollow of the oak tree near the lake where I leave roses for my grandmother & watch the bats weave through its branches at dusk, or the hollows of the trees on walks in MN that are truly only small enough for the birds.

This collection is for that feeling, a heavy heart in search of a place to rest amongst the lichen and churning earth, the trees that open up to make room. The “bat lichen” made in honor of the dusk bats near where I lost a loved one and a part of myself I’ll never see again, & where grief has taken root so firmly within me I often feel as if I’m speaking another language, and sometimes unable to speak at all, just quietly dreaming in the hollow.

Bats:

Bats and their cast wing and leg bones have long been a component I’ve used in my visual library as a way of creating a personal visual language. As nocturnal creatures, I feel a kinship with their natural predilection for the night time hours, but I’m also interested in how they use sonar to ‘see’, how as a metaphor bats as liminal creatures also remind us to look closer with our other senses, a way of ‘seeing the unseen.’ It’s my hope and intention that pairing them with other chthonic imagery and myth further adds to the visual meaning I’m aiming for, creating a collage of personal ideas while also tethering these physical jeweled objects to the spirit of the bat ( and other natural objects in the case of other jewels in my collection ) and to the spirit of the myths I’m invoking.

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. 

*Details* : 

- 90 mm from top to bottom 

- Solid Sterling Silver  

- Seen on Miguel on a 26" chain

- Set with one 30mm magnifying glass 

- 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

***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