The Orphic Tablet Pendant
For those who carry memory like a golden thread through darkness.
Solid gold lasts lifetimes. Vermeil is a thick layer of solid gold over sterling silver — an accessible alternative, designed to last several years with care.
Recycled solid gold or gold vermeil
Free shipping worldwide
Small-batch ethical production
2 year warranty
Add a solid gold chain:
In the ancient world, thin sheets of gold were inscribed with instructions for navigating the afterlife and tucked into linen shrouds. A map for the soul; a golden key.
This pendant is based on the Petelia Gold Tablet, a 3rd to 2nd century BCE Orphic inscription from southern Italy, unearthed in the 1830s. Its ancient Greek text guides the dead away from the waters of forgetfulness and toward the spring of Mnemosyne: Memory.
Cast in solid gold or gold vermeil, the pendant translates an ancient funerary text into a wearable relic. Its words evoke thirst, darkness, memory, and divine descent: the soul not as something lost, but as something instructed, prepared, and remembered.
A talisman for transformation, memory, and the hidden knowledge carried beyond the visible world.
The translated inscription reads:
You will find to the left of the house of Hades a spring,
and by it stands a white cypress.
You should not even come near this spring!
But you will find another one, from the Lake of Memory,
cold water pouring forth. But there are guardians in front of it.
Say, "I am the child of Earth and Starry Heaven,
but my race is heavenly. This you yourselves also know!
I am parched with thirst and perishing. Quickly give me
cold water pouring forth from the Lake of Memory!"
And they will give you to drink from the divine [la]ke.
And thereafter you will reign [with the other] heroes.
This is [the "gift] of [Memory." Whenever he is about] to die,
[let the dying hero] write this [on a tablet of gold],
[before loathsome] darkness [might take him],
having enclosed him all around.
Product Details
About Solid Gold
Solid gold is for those who buy once and buy well. It will not tarnish, fade, or degrade; worn daily for decades, it only grows more beautiful. It is the right choice if you want a piece that lasts a lifetime or becomes an heirloom.
Gold has appreciated steadily for centuries and retains intrinsic value: it can always be melted down and reborn as something new. It is adornment that is also an investment.
Our solid gold pieces are cast using the ancient lost wax method and are never hollow. Every gram is 100% certified recycled, and every piece is made by hand in New York City.
About Gold Vermeil
Gold Vermeil, pronounced ver-may, is a French term for a style of gold plating that is regulated by the federal government. Unlike "gold plated" jewelry, vermeil must always be on a solid 925 sterling silver base - rather than brass - with at least 2.5 microns thickness of gold. This is 3 times thicker than normal gold plating.
This makes vermeil a longer lasting product than gold plated jewelry, as well as more valuable because it's composed entirely of precious metals.
When will my piece ship?
We keep a small inventory of solid gold pieces - please check just above the size/color selector to see if your piece is in stock.
If your solid gold piece is not in stock, please see above for the estimated timeframe to ship.
FAQ
When will my order ship?
Gold Vermeil pieces ship within 2 business days.
Solid gold pieces are handcrafted to order, though occasionally we keep a few items in inventory.
Each item has a different lead time based on the complexity of the piece.
This piece's lead time is:
How do returns work?
We ship for free globally, and offer free return labels within the US. International orders can be returned within 60 days, though we do not cover postage.
You can start your return using our easy self-serve portal.
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