Aurelia Ant on Her Bloodroot Pin

Oftentimes the tiniest living beings make the biggest impact on the world around us. Please meet Aurelia Ant. She is responsible for that beautiful patch of wild native bloodroot in the woods behind your home, the one you gasped at when it came into view. Aurelia has always been keen on finding the seeds of spring ephemerals because of the yummy white part on the seeds. She doesn’t know it’s called an elaiosome or that plants mainly produce it to entice ants to carry their seeds away so other animals won’t eat and destroy them. Aurelia just knows the white part is delicious and gives her the energy to forage for more food for her family. She doesn’t want the seed itself, so she piles it up someplace out of the way or drops it off away from her nest, and then it germinates into a plant. That patch of bloodroot grew this way, thanks to Aurelia and her family!

The bloodroot, from the top of the flower to the bottom of the seed, is 2.75 inches long. This pin was made entirely by hand from sterling silver, from scratch. It is one of a kind. I created both this brooch and the similarly themed necklace at the same time, but every element of both was formed from melted silver and my shaping tools. My work is not cast. The brooch has a sterling silver pin post and sterling pin back as well.

Aurelia and her bloodroot flower brooch, now completed, will be packaged safely in a gift box for you within 3–5 business days.