A Love Letter to the Magic I Wear - My Journey Into the Wolfstone Realm
A note from the atelier
Every so often somebody walks up to the stall and it just clicks. Valerie was one of those. She found us at De Duystere Markt, walked away without buying anything, and then came back into our world on her own terms and slowly built a collection of handmade gothic jewelry that is entirely, unmistakably hers. De Duystere Markt is our main market which we attend 3 times a year, this market is all about curiosities and oddities.
We are forever grateful for people like Valerie, she comes back to us everytime and is one of our most loyal customers . This is why this space is hers. We kindly asked her to write her story down.
We asked her to write this in her own words. So the rest of this is her, not us. 🖤
Kaat & Huib
"In my opinion, Atelier Wolfstone creates jewelry that feels alive, meaningful, and deeply personal." - Valerie
Some encounters feel like they were meant to happen. We all know those little moments where somehow everything just feels familiar and right. That’s exactly how it felt when I first met Kaat and Huib at De Duystere Markt.
I remember being pulled toward their stall as if something in me recognized the work before I even saw it. Their pieces had that quiet gravity and just the right amount of whimsy. The silver which they so delicately crafted looked like it had lived a life, the gemstones felt warm with intention. The resulting pieces are designs that whispered of myth, shadow, and beauty. While I didn’t take a piece home that day, the encounter stayed with me. Over time, I found myself returning to their world and gradually became a collector of their beautiful creations. I also dove deeper into Kaat’s Chaos Magick Journal, which I did pick up that first day. It turned out to be one of the most influential books I’ve ever owned. It helped me understand how intention can be shaped, how beauty can be a form of power, and how objects crafted with love can become talismans.
The Pieces That Became Part of My Story
Each Wolfstone piece I own feels like a small talisman, a fragment of a story I get to make my own and carry with me. Their jewelry is expressive, symbolic, and deeply personal. Here are the pieces that have become part of my daily ritual.
- Morningstar pearl pendant with a gothic custom salt and pepper diamond ring: A celestial reminder to stay expansive, even in structured spaces.
- Shield ring with alexandrite and pendant with iolite: Enchanted and protective stones wrapped in silver, carrying an air of mystery, the old worlds and elegance.
- Gothic moss agate talisman: Protective, architectural, and quietly powerful — like wearing a fragment of a cathedral.
- Athame pendant with smokey quartz: A symbol of clarity and strength, worn close to the heart.
- Garnet stag beetle: A fiercely beautiful reminder that transformation requires patience, inner strength and determination.
- Mourning hand with a labradorite shield flowing from it and rutilated quartz branch ring: Echoes of folklore, a connection to loved ones who have passed and nocturnal beauty.
- Magick Coffin Box: A tiny altar of intention, and a reminder of where this journey began.
Each piece carries the unmistakable Wolfstone touch: gothic architecture, romantic flourishes, and natural forms woven into metal and stone.
A note from the atelier: Why a Mourning Hand, a Skull, or a Coffin Box Is Not Morbid
A note from us, because Valerie's mourning hand pendant deserves some context.
Wearing death on your body is not a new gothic invention. It is one of the oldest habits in jewellery there is. Skulls, hourglasses and crossbones appear on rings from the Middle Ages onward, worn not as decoration but as a daily instruction: you are going to die, so live properly (Gemological Institute of America, n.d.). By the Victorian era the tone had shifted. The focus moved off the skeleton and onto the person you had lost, which is where the hair lockets, the jet, and the sentimental inscriptions come from.
So when Valerie puts on a mourning hand, she is doing something people have been doing for roughly five hundred years. Carrying somebody with her. That is the whole point of memento mori jewellery, and it always was. It is not about being fascinated by graves. It is about refusing to pretend that loss did not happen.
We make ours in sterling silver, by hand, in Kaatsheuvel. Same instruction, new metal.
Why These Pieces Speak to Me
I chose these pieces because they resonate with who I am, aesthetically and emotionally. Atelier Wolfstone’s creations allow me to express my love for gothic architecture, my fascination with myth and magic, and my desire to weave beauty into even the most corporate parts of my life.
Their designs feel like they were shaped in a world where nature and architecture meet. They seamlessly incorporate pointed silhouettes that echo cathedral spires, ornate details reminiscent of Gothic tracery, romantic curves that feel like old stories and forgotten places and organic shapes inspired by leaves, roots, wings, and claws. This blend of structure and softness is exactly what draws me in. Their jewelry feels ancient and modern, fierce and tender, bold and intimate. It materializes the concept of ‘everything, everywhere, all at once’. In that vein, their jewelry both accessorizes and anchors my life.
On a personal note, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that their pieces genuinely bring me luck. When I wear them, I feel more grounded, more confident, more myself. Their jewelry enables me to subtly carry my aesthetic into my corporate world, where I am a legal counsel for a large bank, in a powerful way. A ring becomes a quiet rebellion, a pendant becomes a grounding charm, and the gemstones serve as a reminder of my inner fire.
The Wolfstone Craft: Magic, Intention, and Beauty
What inspires me most is the devotion Kaat and Huib pour into every creation. You can feel the care in every detail, be it in the way a gemstone is set, the way a branch curves, the way a window-shaped pendant catches the light like stained glass. Their pieces aren’t mass-produced, but rather shaped slowly, intentionally, with reverence for symbolism and story.
Atelier Wolfstone creates jewelry that feels like it belongs in myths, in cathedral halls, in moonlit forests, in the pages of old books. When you wear it, you get to carry a piece of that world with you.
Their realm is one of dark romance, fantasy, witchy symbolism, and beautifully unconventional elegance and I for one am eternally grateful to be part of it.
A note from the atelier: What Valerie Is Actually Wearing
Since we get asked this every single time somebody shares their collection, here is the honest technical answer.
Everything Valerie owns from us is sterling silver, made by hand in our own atelier in Kaatsheuvel. Nothing is plated. Nothing is outsourced. Nothing was cast in a factory and stamped with our name.
When we work in sterling silver, 14K or 18K gold, the creation leaves us and goes to the independent Dutch assay office, the Waarborg, which tests it and strikes the hallmark. We do not mark our own gold and we are not allowed to. That is the law here, the Waarborgwet 2019, and it is one of the better things about being a goldsmith in the Netherlands. Somebody entirely independent of us checks our work before it reaches you (Rijksoverheid, 2019).
This is also why a solid silver talisman you wear daily for years costs what it costs, and why the plated version that turned your neck green after four months cost what it cost.
If you want to start your own small collection, our silver lives in the Nox ex Libris, Curiosity Cabinet and Regina collections. If there is something in your head that does not exist yet, that is what the Custom Realm is for. No rush on any of it. These creations are not going anywhere and neither are we.
Questions People Actually Ask Us
What is talisman jewellery?
Any creation worn with intention attached to it rather than just for looks. A ring that means something, a pendant that reminds you of a person or a promise. The meaning is yours, not ours. Our Curiosity Cabinet collection is fully built on talisman magic and maybe you can find yours there.
What does memento mori mean in jewellery?
Latin for "remember you must die." It covers skulls, hourglasses, coffins and mourning hands, worn since the Middle Ages as a reminder to live well while you can.
Is sterling silver good for everyday wear?
Yes. It tarnishes, which is normal and polishes off in seconds. Solid sterling silver will outlast plated jewellery by decades because there is no coating to wear through. You can read more about this in our F.A.Q
Can you wear gothic jewellery to a corporate job?
Valerie is a legal counsel at a bank, so yes. A dark ring or a small pendant reads as jewellery to everyone else and as something else entirely to you. With our jewelry you never have to hide who you are ever again.
Is handmade jewellery worth the money?
Add up what you have spent on plated jewellery that lasted a year and then compare it to one solid creation you will still own in twenty years. That is the real maths.
What is the Dutch Waarborg hallmark?
An independent Dutch assay office that tests gold and silver and strikes an official mark on it. We do not mark our own gold and silver. An outside authority verifies it first.
Where is Atelier Wolfstone jewellery made?
By hand in our own atelier in Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands, by the two of us. Nothing is outsourced. We ship worldwide.
Sources (APA)
Gemological Institute of America. (n.d.). Victorian era mourning jewelry: Antique elegance and history. GIA 4Cs. https://4cs.gia.edu/en-us/blog/antique-victorian-era-mourning-jewelry/
Rijksoverheid. (2019). Waarborgwet 2019. Wetten.overheid.nl. https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0042317/
Add comment
Comments