Brief Summary…

• Recycled silver Victorian shillings
• Hand carved and engraved details
• Unique three earring set to give you options or to share!
• Hand cut from the shilling with traditional jewellers piercing saw.
• Hairy Growler sterling silver ear posts and backs
• Size :  14mm * 6mm
• Symbolism : love, fate, owls, wisdom
• Handcrafted & Recycled in Cambridge
• made with Love

A little more detail…

Barn owl earrings – handcrafted and recycled sterling silver shilling.

These little barn owls (which i’ve named for you! ‘Knowledge and Wisdom’) and moon stud type fitting earrings have been recycled from an English sterling silver shilling coin. These coins are unwanted by coin collectors due to wear marks from being used to buy and sell over one hundred years ago.

Rather than let them simply be melted down for the silver content I absolutely love coming up with designs and ideas to transform them into something desirable. By doing this the historical details are retained, simultaneously adding depth, interest and intrigue to the design.

The pair of barn owls and moon have been individually hand cut, carved and engraved from the silver shilling with a traditional jewellers hand tools.  The unusual triplet of earrings allows you to wear a traditional pair of beautiful owls or an individual, original asymmetrical variation of barn owl and moon.  It also means you have a spare in case the worst occurs!

Each set is completely unique, contemporary, ethical and beautiful. They are presented complete with a sterling silver ‘off-cut’ which beautifully demonstrate the origins of the owls and connect them to their interesting, recycled material history.  sizes approx : 14mm * 6 mm

Barn owls, with their silent flight, ghostly appearance, and haunting screeches, have woven themselves into the fabric of folklore and artistic expression, appearing across cultures as a potent and often contradictory symbol.

Mystery and the Unknown: The barn owl’s nocturnal habits and silent flight make it a creature of the shadows, evoking a sense of mystery, the hidden, and the unseen. It can represent the hidden aspects of the psyche or the deeper truths that lie beyond conscious awareness.

Wisdom and Intuition: Despite its association with darkness, owls, particularly the barn owl, are often linked to wisdom, knowledge, and intuition, according to Wild Gratitude. Their ability to navigate the darkness and locate prey based on sound alone can symbolize the power of inner knowing, trusting intuition, and finding clarity in challenging situations.

Death and Transformation: In some traditions, the barn owl’s ghostly appearance and association with the night have connected it with death and the underworld. However, this connection isn’t always negative. In some contexts, it can also signify transformation, regeneration, and the cycle of life and rebirth.

Protection and Guardianship: The barn owl’s silent hunt and its role as a nocturnal predator can be interpreted as a symbol of protection and guardianship, especially against hidden dangers in the dark, notes

Gwen Harwood’s acclaimed poem “Barn Owl,” for instance, uses the act of a child shooting a barn owl as a powerful symbol of the loss of innocence and the harsh realities of facing death and consequences. The owl’s silent flight and its eventual suffering highlight the vulnerability of nature in the face of human actions, and the irreversible nature of lost innocence.

The barn owl is a creature that holds multiple, sometimes conflicting, layers of meaning in the realm of poetry and symbolism. They scream of the secrets of the night and the wisdom gleaned from silence. The transition between life and death and the transformative power of experience. The hidden dangers or unseen truths that require keen perception and intuition to navigate.