Amsterdam Bracelet

{BeBuddhaBaseCollection} INSPIRATION: I just LOVE skulls! ABOUT THE STONES: Part of my fascination with jewelry making is the stones. What do they mean? Where did they come from? Below find the meaning of the stones of this particular piece. Please keep in mind that gemstones and semi-precious gemstones have many different meanings to many different cultures- these are just what I’ve found in my research! :) ***OPALITE is known for it's soothing effect when held or worn! *** MAGNESITE is said to assist in creative vision, stimulate passion, and bring peace in meditation. *** HEMATITE comes from the Greek word for blood. It has been used as an amulet against bleeding, and so is known as the "blood stone". When arranged like the petals of a flower, it is referred to as the "iron rose". Native American folklore states that war paint made from hematite will make one invincible in battle. People in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries wore hematite jewelry during mourning. Hematite is said to protect the wearer's life energy and guarantee survival. Amulets of hematite have been found in nearly every pharaoh's tomb as a support in the afterlife. *** FRESHWATER PEARLS are usually pale white or cream-colored, though darker blue, gray, and even black variations exist. Remember, Pearl is the result of layer upon layer of substance produced to combat irritation. Freshwater pearls enable one to accept love and see the good parts of oneself so you can love yourself and others more. Pearls are also a symbol of purity. ***SKULL Ancient civilizations like the Egyptians and the Aztecs used the skull as a symbol of the cycle of death and rebirth. In these cultures, death was not encumbered with the same stigma as in today’s Western world, and the cycles of nature (including passage into the afterlife and even the underworld) were treated with the same reverence as the respective gods that were believed to control them. Actual bones were also pierced through regions of the skin and strung together to create jewelry, and in this case, the larger the bone, the more skillful and respected the tribesman. Some original Aztec ceremonies and celebrations involving skulls and skeletal remains eventually translated into the more modern Mexican holiday known as Dia de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead.” During the Elizabethan Period in Europe, rings fashioned with a “Death’s Head Skull,” or a skull that is missing the jaw portion, became a symbol of one’s membership in the societal underworld. In a more modern sense, visages of the skull have been seen with wings (which symbolizes freedom in the sense of the release of the dead from their physical form into a freer spiritual one), with crossbones (signifying eternity, danger, or poison), with butterflies (symbolizing the changing nature of life), with snakes (a depiction of immortality, or knowledge of the next world), and with crosses (denoting mankind’s beginnings). The newest addition to this menagerie, the skull with a bow resting atop its cranium, has also become clearly symbolic of the recent feminine embrace of these ideas. WHERE ARE THE STONES FROM? Hong Kong, West Lafayette, Chicago HANDMADE IN CHICAGO WITH LOVE ♥ FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY & CHECK OUT MORE PHOTOS @bebuddhajewelry on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest!