Sapling & Flint
Crowned-Heart silver earrings
The Crowned-Heart silver earrings are designed and finished in Sterling Silver by Yonenyà:kenht Jesse Brant in Six Nations Territory. The Crowned-Heart by is derived from the designs popularized during the 17th century as the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois traded for silver to create embellishments with English and Scottish traders.
While the "heart" symbol is a universal symbol for love in western cultures; for the Haudenosaunee this particular design looked like an owl, and so became a protection amulet for the nighttime. Haudenosaunee women would often receive a silver pendant or brooch as an engagement gift, and after the birth of her children she would pin the silver to her baby's cradleboard or swaddling blankets as an amulet for their protection.
The silver heart style seems to originate through trade of the Luckenbooth brooches, originally brought to market in "Luckenbooths" that vended the pieces around St. Giles church in Edinburgh. The original hearts (both the single or double heart design) did not have a crown on their design, but was incorporated after 1840 to commemorate the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The added crowns became a popular mainstay in the designs in both Europe and North America. Silver has been a constant material in Haudenosaunee fashion, being added to clothing and worn as jewelry and protection amulets across the over 400 years of trade between Europeans & North Americans. These silver designs are a reflection of the history of fashion among the Haudenosaunee.
size: 25mm in length
weight: 2 grams (each or 4 grams together)
