Memento Mori Earrings | #5

This pair of earrings consists of special coffin cut labradorites, single leafy poppies laid at the foot of the graves (the poppy means “peace in death”), viney twist borders wrapping its way around the stones (nature’s reclamation), and two sterling pebbles framing the flower.

They have been aged and hand-polished for a textured, organic look, and to bring out the lowlights and accent the stone. 
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☀ Suspended from sterling silver hooks.


☀ The earrings (not including the earwires) measure about 1.25" from top to bottom. 
☀ See the photos of the earrings being worn and held for size reference 
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♥ Labradorite is an iridescent gemstone with a fascinating schiller or metallic luster when viewed from certain angles. The base color of labradorite is a smokey gray, but when light strikes the stone in a particular direction, it displays striking rainbow-colored reflections.   
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♥  “Memento mori” is a Latin phrase which translates as “remember death.” Throughout art history, there has been a wide range of memento mori objects: Rennaissance paintings of decaying fruit, marble sculptures of skulls, morbid prayer beads, and so forth. All to remind the viewer of the transience of life.

And so, this is my interpretation of a memento mori to be released right before Allhallowtide begins: the time each year reserved for honoring the hallowed dead and faithfully departed.  

Regardless of your religious or spiritual inclinations, or whether you prefer your Halloween merely with lots of candy and costumes, these pieces can be meaningful. They are designed with the intent of the oldest memento mori objects: to remember death and consider it through the lens of one’s own mortality. 
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♥ This piece is part of the Nocturne Collection, an annual collection in time for Halloween. Everything has a dark, witchy aesthetic, sometimes whimsical and sometimes sombre. This time I use labradorite for its otherworldly flash, snakey greens and thundery blues.