Penelope the Spring Beauty Mining Bee Necklace

Pink pollen pants. This is a phrase I’ve been singing to myself for weeks while crafting this one‑of‑a‑kind necklace. I’ve always known about the spring beauty wildflower, but I didn’t know there’s a mining bee named for this tiny ephemeral because she only feeds from this plant. As you can imagine, she’s aptly called the spring‑beauty mining bee. But I have named this little lady, Penelope! The blooming time of the tiny, pink‑veined, pollen‑coated flower coincides exactly with when the mining bee lays her eggs and needs to feed her young. Penelope collects and feeds her larvae pollen and nectar only from these flowers, so her pollen baskets are always bright pink. She flies back to her nest covered in bits of pink pollen granules and mixes the nectar with the pollen into little balls to feed her babies. By the time Penelope's babies are grown enough to care for themselves, the spring beauties have finished flowering. Isn’t nature amazing??

This one‑of‑a‑kind necklace is made entirely from sterling and fine silver. The pendant alone measures 5.25 inches tall and hangs from an adjustable 20‑inch chain. Each end of the chain has easy to use S‑hooks so you can clasp them onto any link to get the length you want that day. Penelope features a light pink kunzite gemstone to mimic the color of the pollen she would carry back to her young. Every element of this necklace was made from scratch and hand carved. None of it was cast. Even the tiny bits of pollen added to Penelope’s legs were cut and fused to her legs with great patience. The bulb of the plant is hollow and lightweight. My maker’s mark is on the back of the pendant, signing this piece for you.

Penelope, the spring‑beauty mining bee, is finished and will be packaged safely and shipped to you within 3–5 business days.