Imagine a moonlight pebble beach; a lone hermit crab creeps among the smooth stones and broken coral . . .
This one-of-a-kind multi-strand necklace is strung on tigertail wire (not hand-knotted), and centers on a hand-carved, highly-detailed jasper pendant of a hermit crab. The crab and its shell-house are fully three dimensional. This pendant is carved from a single piece of jasper and is a truly unique and striking piece.
The strands of this necklace are loosely intertwined for a “messy chic” affect and you can play with them to make them more or less tangled. The strands are mostly white moonstone, with grey moonstone, ocean jasper, and sea bamboo accents. Although the wire shows a bit in the pictures, it is invisible when the necklace is worn. The findings are sterling silver and the clasp is a sterling silver toggle hand crafted in Bali. The shortest strand is roughly 18 inches, including the clasp, and the longest strand is roughly 23 inches. The hermit crab pendant is about 2 inches by 1.25 inches. This is a massive, heavy necklace; definitely a statement piece.
Disclosure: The bust used in the photos is about half-human scale; I use it to show how the necklaces will fall. Normally, I hang the necklace partially over the back so that it falls on the bust in roughly the same place as a real person. This necklace will not cooperate with that process, and so it’s hanging lower on the bust that it will on you. On me, the longest strand falls just above the bust line. The measurements and other photos should give an idea of the real scale of the necklace.
Sea bamboo is a natural material from a living marine organism. I have been unable to determine if that organism is a true coral or a coral-like kelp. These sea bamboo beads have been dyed. The pebble beads are smooth to the touch, but do have a few rough spots and chips as a result of their simple manufacture . . . I believe this adds of the “natural” feel of the necklace, your opinion may differ! The white moonstone includes a few pieces of “rainbow moonstone” that were mixed in with the strands; the effect is subtle. Like all of my jewelry, this necklace is not intended for use by persons under 13.
About the stones:
Jasper is a form of quartz (silicon dioxide) and is a member of the chalcedony family. Jasper is an opaque and fine grained stone and comes in a rainbow of patterns and colors. It is a hard, with a Mohs hardness of 7.
In folklore, jasper can cure blindness and bring rain, and is believed to be a calming, soothing stone that protects against negative forces, particularly those arising from within. Red jasper is supposed to bring courage, especially to fight injustice. Green jasper balances conflicting forces and brings restful sleep. Ocean jasper brings relaxation and harmonization in relationships and makes it easier to express love.
Moonstone is a variety of feldspar, composed of potassium aluminum silicate. The opalescent appearance comes from an internal structure of fine layers of two minerals, albite and feldspar. Thin layers of albite result in a pale blue stone, while thicker layers give an opaque white. Moonstone may be white, grey, peach, or even brown.
Moonstone is a fairly soft stone, with a Mohs hardness of 6.
In folklore, moonstone is, unsurprisingly, associated with the moon. Moonstone is associated with intuition, spirituality, and good fortune. Sacred to the moon goddess, it promotes healing, mothering, and protection, especially when traveling over water.
Sea Bamboo may or may not be a true coral. It is the skeleton of a marine organism, but I have been unable to determine whether it is an animal (coral) or a plant (kelp). In either case, it is often sold as “coral” and is considered to have many of the same properties in folklore.
In folklore, coral protects children from harm and sailors from bad weather and wards off misfortune. It is supposed to bring joy and allow a person to enjoy life.
