HOT ! Bleeding Heart. Garnet Necklace. *Limited*

IMPORTANT: This jewel is limited and we are unsure if they\'ll be available again in the future. We recommend Express Shipping with signature required upon delivery to best ensure it arrives safely in your hands. 

PLEASE NOTE : This necklace will be created with an 18\" bar link chain. If you desire a different chain length, it\'s important that you email us immediately after placing your order. 

Because these stones are limited, we are not able to accommodate any requests for specific stone preferences.

The unusual and striking Bleeding Heart Flower (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) was originally native to the woodlands of Asia where it thrived in the early Spring light before the tree canopy leafed out. Brought to England in the 1800’s by plant hunters who were fascinated by its unique shape and bright color, the flowers became stars of the Victorian garden boom. There it became part of the language of flowers and was exchanged between those seeking to declare romantic intention, as well as becoming a symbol of enduring affection and undying love due to its shape and seasonal return. 

Despite these more romantic associations, it was also associated with heartbreak and unrequited love, both due to the “bleeding” aspect of the flower and as well as folklore from Japan. This folklore tells a tale about a spurned prince who’s death after being rejected from a beautiful maiden caused the plant to grow in the spot where his blood had spilled. 

From Asia it was introduced to the US, which already had native variants of its own, including the pale white/pink Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis), known to the indigenous people of Northern America. Used for skin aliments and to ease menstrual cramping, it was also considered food for the spirits by the the Onondaga, as well as a love charm to the Menominee. 

Religious groups associated it with sacrifice and compassion, especially around Easter and Spring, when it returned in bloom; considering the “blood” of the flower to be the blood shed on the cross. There is also some history that a Jesuit priest may have first brought back the Asian Bleeding Heart in the 1700’s before it was popularized in Victorian gardens. This association makes me think of the symbolism of the Sacred Heart, the worship of the disembodied heart of a deity, wounded & bleeding, and yet radiant and strange. 

Interestingly, despite and perhaps because of their beauty, all variants of Bleeding Heart flowers are poisonous to animals and humans alike, however are important for early pollinators such as bees who are able to crawl inside the opening of the heart. There’s something about this dualism that intrigues me, poison and love intermingling in a strange and beautiful flower that had originally grown hidden in the woods.

What I have loved most about it, aside from its Victorian associations, is its symbolism with heartbreak. To me they resemble heart shaped lockets overwhelmed and split open by grief, our heart’s blood spilling out ~ our sweetness and our sorrow caught in a single drop that hovers like a pendulum from the portals of our hearts, suspended forever like a lure for someone to collect. The hope that our hearts, no matter how wounded, can be mended, they we can remain tender and vulnerable to others and to the world’s marvels rather than tuck ourselves away in the deep forests of despair.

*Details* :

- 37 mm from top to bottom

- 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

- Set with one 7 x 10 mm pear cut garnet stone- Seen on Miguel on an 18 inch chainGarnet:

Garnet is seemingly named for a few things, the most interesting and well known being that of the Pomegranate, named for either its glowing red color or its relational look to the seeds within when polished. This has tied it to the myth of the Goddess Persephone in some of its lore, who is as inseparable to the Pomegranate and its fateful seeds as Eve is to the apple of Eden. This association, admittedly, is what first drew me to Garnet, but its long and storied history, spanning many cultures and parts of the world is as fascinating as just about any other gemstone of my acquaintance. I also fell for its uncanny beauty, which  like a glowing ember one can wear on the skin, appears alive like fire does. 

As an ancient gemstone, the Egyptians knew of its power and beauty, which seems to be the seal of magical authenticity on the stone as it was found not only amongst grave goods but also within the settings of talismans wrapped in the layers of mummies to protect the body on its journey to the afterlife. I imagine it being present with its wearer before the weighing of the heart, as it’s a stone closely aligned with the heart ( akin in this way, to Rose Quartz. ) 

Created under extreme pressure and temperatures in the darkness of the subterranean realms, Garnet persists and thrives under these difficult circumstances - suggesting strength and personal resiliency. It’s also, like the Phoenix, associated with fire and its transformative properties, rising from extremely high temperatures. It’s considered to be a stone of creativity, as it’s ‘blood’ colored and associated with fire and the heart, ( as mentioned above) suggesting a quickening of the blood, a call to creative action, passion.

This passion also extends to both romantic and platonic relationships, the stone was given to strengthen bonds between friends and lovers due to its association with the Persephone myth in a strange nod to how Pomegranate seeds kept Persephone bond to the Underworld for part of the year/ being returned to the Upper realms for Spring/Summer, ( this also made it a traveler’s stone) as well as for its color being similar to heart’s blood. 

Another interesting bit : in the Medieval Ages it was considered to ward off Melancholy and also, interestingly, to be the material that Dragon’s eyes were made of. 

All in all, Garnet is a wildly magical and highly potent stone, beautiful, ancient and intense; a personal raging fire to keep close- to remind you that you belong to the land of the living. To quicken the blood when feeling otherwise. This jewel is hand cut and therefore may have small signs of the carver\'s hands along the edges. It has not been fabricated by a machine rather it hand cut and therefore might not be uniformly perfect. The photographs accurately portray the quality of the stone and the cut. 

***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