Corvus & Cora - Gothic Raven Earrings

Two ravens are having a conversation right now and you are not invited. You can tell by the way Corvus has his beak open and his feathers slightly ruffled that he has an opinion he considers important. You can tell by the way Cora is listening that she has already decided what she thinks and is waiting for him to finish. Ravens mate for life and they spend a great deal of that life talking to each other, which means these two have had this particular conversation, or some version of it, many times before. Neither of them minds.

The Raven

Ravens are among the most intelligent animals on Earth, with cognitive abilities that researchers have compared to those of great apes. They can solve multi-step puzzles, use tools, plan ahead, recognize individual human faces, hold grudges, and communicate about events that are not happening in the present moment, a capacity called displacement that is shared by only a handful of other species including bees, ants, and humans. They have been observed pointing with their beaks to draw another raven's attention to something, holding up objects to get attention, and deceiving other ravens about where they have hidden their food. They are, in short, exactly as clever as they look.

Their vocal repertoire is extraordinary, with over thirty distinct calls used for different purposes including alarm, contact, dominance, and what researchers describe as something very close to conversation. They are technically classified as songbirds, because of their exceptional muscle control around the voice box and because they learn their calls rather than being born knowing them. Ravens raised around humans can learn to mimic human speech. And despite that deep croaking voice that sounds nothing like a songbird, a raven is cousins with the warbler and the thrush and is doing something considerably more sophisticated with sound than either of them.

Ravens pair for life and are fiercely devoted to their partners. They preen each other's feathers, perform aerial acrobatics together during courtship, and defend their territory side by side. When Corvus and Cora are talking, it is a conversation that has been building for years and will continue for years more.

The Piece

Corvus and Cora perch on either side of your ears inside tall brass window frames, their deeply oxidized sterling silver feathers so dark they read as true black against the warm gold of the brass behind them. The contrast is exactly right, the same stark beauty you get from a raven against a winter sky. Each bird is fully dimensional, with individual feathers carved and layered, that thick shaggy throat ruff rendered in careful detail. Around each frame night blooming moonflowers cluster in sterling silver, their petals open the way moonflowers open, at night, for the moths and the darkness. Below each bird the branch they perch on dissolves into more flowers and foliage at the base. The ear wires are sterling silver, simple and clean against the drama of everything below them.

They dangle approximately 2.5 inches from where they enter your ear.

The Craftsmanship

• Earrings: approximately 2.5 inches from ear wire
• Material: sterling silver throughout, oxidized, with brass frames
• Style: French wire dangle earrings
• Edition: one of a kind

One of a Kind

There is only one Corvus and only one Cora. These two ravens, these brass windows, these moonflowers open in the dark: they exist once. When they find their person they will never be made again exactly like this.

A Note from Tamara

I have a deep and slightly complicated love for ravens. They are so obviously thinking about something and so obviously not planning to share it with you, and there is something about that self-possession that I find completely irresistible. I paired them with moonflowers because ravens are creatures of shadow and edge and the night always felt right for them. I hope whoever wears them feels a little of that quiet intelligence against their ears every time they put them on.

Shipping

Your Corvus and Cora are finished, packaged safely, and will be on their way to you within 3 to 5 business days.