Strix Sterling Silver Pendant with Ancient Mediterranean Limestone Maskette & Oval Aquamarine

This pendant is named after the Strix - the night creature of ancient Mediterranean folklore, neither fully bird nor spirit, whose piercing gaze and cry were believed to carry omens across the Roman and Greek world. Amulets and carved faces were worn specifically against its influence, and against all things that moved unseen after dark. The stone at its center is an authentic ancient maskette carved from pale limestone, part of a group of small masks associated with Mediterranean folk, devotional, and apotropaic traditions of the medieval to early modern periods. The face looks outward with deep-set eyes and an open mouth, a figure rising above it in the stone - carved with the directness of someone who understood that protection required no subtlety. Such maskettes were carried and worn as personal protective objects across Southern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, the face a ward against exactly what the night brought. Sourced from a private collection, acquired on the art market in the late 20th century. Set in 925 sterling silver plated with black ruthenium, with a natural oval cabochon aquamarine - cool and pale, a stone long associated with safe passage, warding off the unseen, and clarity in darkness. This is a singular edition - handmade by the designer himself with no second copy in existence. For those who know what watches from the dark - and wear it first. PLEASE NOTE: This pendant is made with an authentic ancient artifact and natural gemstones that may exhibit cracks, scratches, and color irregularities - these are not flaws, but marks of authenticity and age. Gemstone colors may appear differently depending on lighting conditions; please refer to the model photo for the most accurate representation.