Joy Pendant

I fell in love with the Joy Pendant the moment I saw it. The sweeping, curling shape embodies a sensation of buoyancy. In it, I see a person spinning with excitement, astonished at their good fortune, then leaping up with arms outstretched, the only fitting expression of their happiness. The pendant does what it was meant to: it symbolizes joy.

I began making my own jewelry in middle school and have become very discerning in my purchases since. I won't buy something I know I can make myself or that I know is overpriced for the work and materials involved. But this pendant is something well outside my abilities and well worth the very reasonable price.

K. Robins begins by sculpting her shapes in wax. I enjoy running my fingers over the central spiral, where I can feel the uneven shapes of hand tooling. The long lines are smooth, and the whole thing has a satisfying weight without being oppressive. It is unusual in that there is no separate ring for it to hang from. Instead, the pendant's uppermost 'arm' has an oblong hole near its top, so the pendant can hang directly from the cord. Because of this, it will always lie flat, and you won't have to worry about walking around half the day with your necklace back-to-front.

The Joy Pendant ships in a small Ziploc bag with a company card and a black silk cord. I tied mine with a pair of adjustable sliding knots (instructions online). I find that it hangs best at or below the collar bone. The silver doesn't have much contrast against my pale skin, so I try to wear it over a darker color, where it looks like a spot of light erupting from a black sea.

For me, the pendant is both a worry stone, perfect for rubbing, and an expression of emotion. Over the years I've found a few pieces of jewelry that I feel suit my innermost self. This is one of them.

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