Acherontia Noctua | One of a Kind Pendant | Blue/Green Sapphire | Curiosity Cabinet

Will release on 26/27-09-26 to all visitors of the Duystere Markt Roeselare. Worldwide website release 28-09-26.

Handcrafted Death's-Head Hawkmoth Pendant in Recycled Sterling Silver with Sapphire | One of a Kind

Two one of a kind moth pendants in recycled sterling silver, each modelled on the death's-head hawkmoth, with a faceted sapphire hanging from the abdomen in a hand-formed bezel. One carries a green sapphire, the other a blue. Choose your variation in the options. Once these two are gone, they are gone, and they will not be made again this way.

The Essence

A moth named after the underworld.
A sapphire hanging where the specimen pin would go.
For the cabinet, and for you.

Inspiration & Story

Acherontia Noctua belongs to the Curiosity Cabinet collection, a realm built from witchcraft, folklore, natural oddities and the strange beauty of things we keep.

She is modelled on the death's-head hawkmoth, and the real one is far stranger than any story anyone has made up about it.

Start with the name, because entomologists were clearly in a mood that day. The genus is Acherontia, named after Acheron, one of the rivers of the Greek underworld. It contains three species: atropos, styx and lachesis. Styx is the other underworld river. Atropos and Lachesis are two of the three Fates, and Atropos is specifically the one who cuts the thread of your life when she decides it is finished. So the scientific name of this moth is, more or less, the underworld moth of the woman who ends you. That is its actual classification.

They earned it. The death's-head hawkmoth carries a skull-shaped marking on its thorax, which is what got it the name in the first place. It squeaks when disturbed, forcing air out through its proboscis in an audible chirp, which is deeply unusual for a moth and unsettling in person. And it breaks into beehives to steal honey, moving through a colony of thousands of bees that mostly leave it alone.

So: a moth that wears a skull, makes a noise, robs hives, and is named after death itself. Naturally it ended up on jewelry.

This one is for the people with an actual curiosity cabinet. The ones with a moth under glass on the shelf, a jar of something on the windowsill, bones and pressed ferns and a taxidermy piece someone has definitely asked about at a dinner party. The people whose houses read as collections rather than décor.

The wings are sculpted with the full vein structure and blackened into the recesses so the pattern actually reads, and the body is built segment by segment down to the tapered abdomen. From the very tip hangs a faceted oval sapphire in a hand-formed bezel, set where the specimen pin would sit if she were in a case. Except she is not pinned. The sapphire swings.

One carries a green sapphire, mossier and more botanical, which pulls her toward the field she came out of. The other a blue sapphire, colder and more nocturnal, which sends her back to the window at midnight. They are the same moth and they are not the same creature.

These are one of a kind because of how they were made: the bezels were formed around their own stones and the hanging elements built at the bench, link by link, which is not something that can be repeated identically even on purpose.

Everything is made in our own atelier in the Netherlands, in real recycled 925 sterling silver. No plating, no filled, no vermeil. If you want the honest breakdown of what those words mean and what the cheap versions look like after six months, we wrote solid gold vs gold filled vs vermeil vs gold plated, and there is a guide on how to spot genuinely ethically made handcrafted jewelry if you want to get properly good at reading listings.

A skull-marked moth is memento mori by another route, and what memento mori actually means covers why that has never been a morbid idea. If you want to see how a collection like this gets built one strange object at a time, the story of Valerie is a real one.

Perfect for lovers of death's-head hawkmoth symbolism, moth jewelry, entomology and specimen collecting, curiosity cabinets, memento mori, whimsygoth aesthetics and witchy sterling silver jewelry.

Creation Details

Jewelry Type: Pendant
Availability: One of a Kind
Collection: Curiosity Cabinet
Brand: Atelier Wolfstone
Material: Recycled 925 Sterling Silver
Gemstone(s): Faceted oval genuine sapphire in green or blue depending on the variation you choose.

Weight: 5,6 gr
Size: 37 x 28 including bail
Sizing: Fixed. These are finished creations and cannot be made in other dimensions.
Necklace: Not included. The standard price does not include a sterling silver necklace. This pendant comes with a faux leather cord, allowing for effortless styling. Many baddies already own silver chains that can be paired easily thanks to the integrated bail.
Personalisation: None. Choose the green or the blue variation above. Both are finished as shown.

Shipping Time: Ships within 5 working days

These are One of a Kind creations. There are two of them and they will not be made again in this form. Something related may appear one day, a different moth, a different stone, hung a different way, but not this.

Crafted using in-house digital and traditional techniques: 3D designing, 3D printing, casting, sawing, shaping, soldering, bezel forming, stone setting, blackening and polishing.

Significant benchwork went into these. Each bezel was formed around its own sapphire rather than cast to a standard size, and the hanging elements were built and soldered at the bench. The wings were blackened into the vein structure and then polished back across the raised surfaces, which is the only way to make wing pattern read at this scale.

Style & Wear

A specimen you can wear, for entomology, curiosity cabinet and memento mori baddies.

The wingspan gives her real horizontal presence, which is unusual in a pendant and makes her sit differently from anything else in a stack. She works best with room around her, so wear her as the anchor rather than crowding her into a busy layer. The sapphire swings from the abdomen as you move, so she is never quite still.

The green variation runs warmer and mossier and pairs happily with gold, brass and anything botanical. The blue runs colder and stays sharp in an all-silver stack, and reads best against black.

Perfect for a market you got dressed up for, a museum you spent four hours in, the friend with the moth under glass, and any evening that calls for something with a skull on its back.

Practical Notes

• Pendant only, faux leather cord or sterling silver chain necklace optional.
• Sterling silver chains can be purchased separately.
• Images are unedited and photographed in a light box and only lightly enhanced to adjust the lighting.
• Model pictures can be edited.
• Colors may vary slightly in real life.
• 6 months warranty starting from the day of delivery.
• Warranty covers defects in workmanship.
• This warranty is in addition to your statutory rights under EU consumer law.
• Always check gemstone hardness and physical properties to see if this gemstone suits you.
• Prices include 21 percent VAT.

Safety, Care & Documentation

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For warranty details, safe usage, sizing guidance and care instructions, visit our More page or our FAQ page. Each order includes a jewelry upkeep document so your creation can last for ages.

Questions & Answers

What does One of a Kind mean?
It means exactly what it says. This creation exists once. It will not be remade in this form. Something related may appear later in a different arrangement, but not this exact piece.

There are two pendants here. Which one am I buying?
Whichever variation you select in the options above. One carries a green sapphire, the other a blue. They are two separate creations and each can only be bought once.

What is a death's-head hawkmoth?
A large moth in the genus Acherontia, found across Europe, Africa and Asia, named for the skull-shaped marking on its thorax. It is one of the few moths that can produce an audible sound, and it raids beehives for honey.

Why is it called Acherontia?
After Acheron, one of the rivers of the Greek underworld. The three species in the genus are atropos, styx and lachesis. Styx is the other underworld river, and Atropos and Lachesis are two of the three Fates, Atropos being the one who cuts the thread of a life. Somebody in the eighteenth century committed very hard to a theme.

Do death's-head hawkmoths really squeak?
Yes. When disturbed they force air out through the proboscis, producing a short audible chirp. It is genuinely unusual among moths and quite startling to hear.

Do they really steal honey from beehives?
They do. They enter hives and feed on honey, and mostly are not attacked by the bees while doing it.

What does a moth symbolise?
Usually transformation, and being drawn toward light in the dark. A death's-head specifically adds mortality to that, because of the skull. It is memento mori arriving on wings rather than as a carved skull.

Is this suitable for someone who collects entomology?
That is more or less who it was made for. She is modelled on the real species with the wing venation and body segments built in, and the sapphire hangs where a specimen pin would sit, except she is not pinned and the stone swings.

Are the hanging parts fragile?
No, but they are hand-built, so treat them accordingly. The links are soldered closed rather than left open, which is the usual failure point on cheap chain jewelry. Take her off before sleeping and before pulling clothing over your head at speed.

What is the difference between the green and the blue?
Colour and mood only. Both are the same moth, made the same way. Green runs mossier and more botanical. Blue runs colder and more nocturnal. Choose the one you would rather look at every day.

Does a chain come with this pendant?
Not as standard. The price is for the pendant, which arrives with a faux leather cord. A sterling silver chain can be added as an option or bought separately.

Will sterling silver tarnish?
Yes, all sterling silver does. Normal reaction to air and skin, not a fault. On a piece with this much wing detail, a little tarnish in the recesses genuinely improves the contrast. Your upkeep document explains how to clean her without flattening the pattern.

Can you make me one of these?
Not these two. If you want something built specifically for you, that is what our Custom Realm is for.