One of a kind Death’s Head Hawkmoth Memento Mori pendant. Set with a carved Tahitian baroque keshi pearl skull mounted in the thorax, a shield-shaped cabochon ruby, and diamonds set in the wings. 18K. The backside is fully carved with the lettering: “Memento Mori, Memento Vivere,” which translates as ‘Remember you must die; therefore, remember to live.’ 

This is the first pearl I’ve attempted to carve. I’ve loved LOVED loved the skull carvings that Shinji Nakaba has done for many years and over the years I’ve collected a handful of interestingly shaped keshi pearls from the gem shows. This pearl kind of had a skull-ish shape and so I decided to help it along. I kept the original shape of the pearl as much as I could, so my skull is a bit irregular, anatomically. I think it worked out perfectly for this piece.

Did you know that this moth (in real life, not the one made out of gold) actually makes an unusual squeaking-chirping sound? Not like a cricket, which rubs its wings together e.g., but by actually forcing air in and out and vibrating a flap in their throat, like a wee little accordion. Or a small squeak toy. It’s quite adorable, really.