Omnia Vanitas 'All is Vanity' Necklace

Recently on vacation I visited an old graveyard in New York. As I walked among the gravestones I noticed that on some of the older ones there was a symbol, a skull with wings on either side which I thought it was really beautiful. It seemed most of the gravestones around the 1700’s had this insignia. It also got me thinking about life and how short it is. I took these inspirations and had a custom one-of-a-kind stamp created which depicts the skull with wings and the Latin phrase 'Omnia Vanitas' which roughly translates to “All is Vanity”. Just a little reminder to ourselves to make the most of life and enjoy the people around you while you can.

Process - The medium I use to create this pendant is known as Metal Clay and it consists of recycled silver from photo negatives mixed in an organic binder. In this case I used a wax stamp to make an impression on the clay, then I fire in a kiln where the binder burns away and the piece that remains is .999 pure silver. I then oxidize (darken) it in order to bring out the texture, and polish the high points to create a nice contrast.

Please choose the length of your chain and whether you would like your chain shiny or oxidized (darkened).

The item pictured is not the exact piece you will receive as I make these to order. Since they are special orders made especially for you, they will take roughly a week to ship.

Your purchase will arrive in a 100% recycled box w/ poly-fill wadding, ready to give as a gift for others or yourself ;-)