Sterling silver Adonis earrings with eye-catching carnelian stones. Handmade classic Mediterranean buying style. Unique gift for her.

These beautiful earrings were commissioned by The British Museum in London to accompany a major exhibition.

Our Adonis earrings, as well as their matching Adonis necklace, bring together blood-red carnelian stones and polished silver to reflect God's purity and power. The skilfully hammered surfaces echo the turbulence of the Adonis river as it carves its way down through mountainous valleys to the Mediterranean Sea at the ancient city of Byblos.

The popular myth of Adonis centres on the foothills above the ancient city of Byblos where the Phoenician goddess Ashtar (known as Aphrodite by the Greeks) fell in love with a beautiful orphaned boy called Adonis. Left in the care of the goddess of the underworld, who also fell in love with him, it was agreed that Adonis would spend half of the year with each of them. Tragically, one of the male gods became jealous of Adonis' beauty and growing influence and, under the guise of a wild boar, fatally gored the handsome young man.

As Adonis lay dying in Ashtar's arms, his blood spilled onto an anemone flower, staining it crimson buying red. Seeing the strength of Ashtar's grief, the goddess of the underworld took pity and restored Adonis to life so that he could once again spend half the year in the mountains and half in the underworld.

The Phoenicians commemorated Adonis' death when autumn floods turn the Adonis river red as mud from the mountains is carried downstream and celebrated his restoration to life by singing and dancing as red anemone flowers bloom in the valleys every Spring.

Hand made using traditional artisan skills in our riverside workshop in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside.

All our jewellery comes lovingly wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and carefully packaged in a gift box secured with a ribbon. A polishing cloth is also included plus an anti-tarnish strip to limit tarnishing during shipment and storage.

For information on our wider jewellery collection visit www.rouaida.com