Wisdom & Pearls - Post Earrings

Wisdom & Pearls, Suffering & Beauty - This is what this collection is all about.

Suffering is an inevitable part of life.
It just is.
There’s no way around it. There’s no way to extract it. 
It finds us all and it hitches a ride.

Mollusks know this all too well.
When debris makes its way into the shell of a mollusk - a mussel, a scallop or an oyster - it experiences suffering. Maybe it’s mild or maybe it’s intense. The degree of suffering doesn’t matter.

What I find interesting is what the mollusk does in response.
It covers the fragment in its own shell material.
It surrounds what is causing the suffering with care.
The mollusk integrates the experience of suffering it into its very being - making it a part of itself. In this way, it is able to live with it.

This process of being with, providing care, nurturing the difficulty with the part of the self that soothes, comforts and protects – this is the practice of compassion.
We learn from the mollusk that compassion creates beauty.

Lately, I’ve been asking:
What difficult part within me needs to be surrounded in my most loving care and attention?
How am I being invited to integrate my experiences of suffering into my being?
Can my suffering be made beautiful?

What reflections, questions or invitations come to mind for you when you learn about the formation of pearls?

…
About the Pearls:
The pearls in my ‘Wisdom & Pearls’ collection are from Hannah Verra at Wild Ocean Pearls in Nova Scotia, Canada. All of her pearls are ethically sourced from the wild. 
The pearls in these earrings are blue mussel pearls that Hannah fished on the South Shore of Nova Scotia in the Northern Atlantic. 

Materials:
sterling silver
fine silver
10 karat gold
1ct blue mussel pearls

Measurements:
The earrings measure 1.2cm wide by 2.1cm long.