Cathedrale Cruor | 14K Gold | One of a Kind Pendant | Ruby | The Heirloom Vault

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

Handcrafted Gothic Tracery Pendant in Solid 14K Gold with Ruby | One of a Kind

A section of gothic window in solid 14K gold. Pierced quatrefoils, a ribbed arch, crocketed edges, and a genuine marquise cut ruby where the glass would be. The bail is hidden on the reverse, so nothing interrupts the architecture from the front. There is one of her.

The Essence

A window with nothing behind it.
Quatrefoils cut clean through.
One drop of red in all that gold.

Inspiration & Story

Cathedrale Cruor belongs to The Heirloom Vault, our solid gold and diamond work. She carries the cathedralcore language of our Regina collection: gothic architecture, arches, tracery, and buildings designed to make you look up.

The name is Latin and it is not subtle. Cathedrale, the cathedral. Cruor, which is not the polite word for blood. It means shed blood, the kind that has left the body. Blood in a church, which given what cathedrals were built to commemorate is entirely on theme.

Everything about her is real gothic vocabulary. The pierced four-lobed shapes are quatrefoils, cut clean through so you see whatever is behind her. The curved bar sweeping across is a ribbed arch. The small hooked leaves along the outer edges are crockets, which climbed spires on real buildings. The thin bars are mullions, terminating in finials. Not decoration borrowed from architecture. Architecture, at 25 mm.

The ruby is the whole reason she is gold. Medieval glassmakers made red by adding metallic gold to the melt, which is why red glass was the most expensive colour in a window and used only where it mattered. A red stone framed in gold tracery is the reference and the material at once.

And she is open. The quatrefoils are pierced right through, so what shows through them is whatever you are wearing: black knit, bare skin, a white collar. She changes with what is behind her, the way a window changes with the weather. It also means she weighs 1.92 g, which is remarkably little for something this architectural.

The bail is hidden on the reverse, a deliberate awkwardness on our part. A bail on the front would interrupt the top line of the tracery and turn a building into a pendant. On the back, the silhouette stays whole.

Solid 14K gold does not wear away, which we explain properly in solid gold vs gold filled vs vermeil vs gold plated.

Made in our own atelier in the Netherlands, by two people.

For lovers of cathedralcore and gothic architecture, quatrefoil and tracery, solid 14K gold, genuine rubies, dark academia, and heirloom jewelry.

Creation Details

Jewelry Type: Pendant
Availability: One of a Kind
Collection: The Heirloom Vault, with Regina cathedralcore detailing
Brand: Atelier Wolfstone
Material: Solid 14K gold
Gemstone(s): Genuine marquise cut ruby. Mohs 9.

Weight: 1.92 g
Size: 25 x 13 mm
Sizing: Fixed. This is a finished creation.
Bail: Hidden on the reverse, so the tracery reads uninterrupted from the front.
Necklace: Not included. A gold or goldfilled chain can be added separately.
Personalisation: None. She is finished as shown.

Shipping Time: Ships within 5 working days

This is a One of a Kind creation. There is one of her and she will not be made again in this form.

Crafted using in-house digital and traditional techniques: 3D designing, 3D printing, casting, sawing, piercing, benchworking, stone setting and hand finishing.

Every quatrefoil is pierced right through and cleaned up by hand from both sides, which is the fiddly part, because an opening this small shows every rough edge from behind as well as in front. The prongs were closed over the ruby at the bench by us.

Style & Wear

Pure cathedralcore for gothic, dark academia and architecture-minded collarbones.

At 25 x 13 mm she has real presence for her weight, and at 1.92 g she is almost weightless on the neck, because most of her is absence. She works on a fine chain, which is unusual for something this architectural.

Wear her against something plain and let the quatrefoils do the work. Black turns the openings into voids. A white shirt turns them into windows. Bare skin turns them into something warmer.

She wants to hang alone. Buildings need space around them.

Practical Notes

• Pendant only, faux leather cord or chain necklace optional.
• 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 is a quatrefoil?
A four-lobed shape, like four overlapping circles, and one of the defining motifs of gothic architecture. Found in window tracery, screens and carved stonework across almost every gothic cathedral in Europe. Here they are pierced right through the gold.

What is tracery?
The stone framework that divides a gothic window into sections and holds the glass. The bars are mullions, and the whole system exists because gothic builders wanted enormous windows and needed a way to support that much glass.

What are the little hooks along the edges?
Crockets. Small carved leaf forms running up the edges of spires and gables on gothic buildings, and one of the fastest ways to tell gothic from any other style.

Why a ruby specifically?
Because of how red glass was made. Medieval glassmakers added metallic gold to the melt to produce red, which made it the most expensive colour in a window. A red stone framed in gold is the reference and the material at the same time.

Is the ruby genuine?
Yes, a genuine natural ruby. We label every stone as genuine or synthetic, because those are different things.

How durable is a ruby?
Ruby is corundum, at 9 on the Mohs scale, second only to diamond.

Why is the bail on the back?
Because a bail on the front would cut across the top of the tracery and turn a building into a pendant. Hiding it on the reverse keeps the silhouette whole.

Is she heavy?
No, and it surprises people. At 1.92 g she is far lighter than her size suggests, because so much of her is pierced away. Openwork is why gothic buildings could get so tall, and it works the same way here.

Does a chain come with her?
Not as standard. She arrives with a faux leather cord, and a gold or sterling silver chain can be added separately.

Will gold tarnish?
No. Solid gold does not tarnish the way silver does. It may pick up a soft surface patina over years, which can be repolished.

How do I clean pierced gold?
A soft brush rather than a cloth, since a cloth cannot reach into the openings.