A wonderfully rustic medieval squirrel seal intaglio necklace pendant ... a new relic from a medieval relic.

- description -
The little squirrel is munching on a nut and surrounded by the Latin legend I CRAKE NOTIS which translates I crack nuts.
In its day I CRAKE NOTIS was classified as witty and was actually a common wax seal and legend, readily available for purchase "over the counter."
Some historians say that the cracking of nuts could be an analogy for cracking open a wax seal, when it was used to close and secure a letter with melted wax, or it could describe the ability of the owner (of the seal) to deal with difficult situations or tough negotiations and there are others that suggest it has a more bawdy meaning and it symbolized sexual conquest.

- symbolism -
The squirrel is symbolic of abundance or good fortune, and reminds us to be proactive, adaptable, and mindful of our own life's "hoard" of energy and ideas.

- approximate intaglio measurement - 5/8” (17mm)
- pendant thickness - 1/8" (3mm) - it's rather hefty
- wax seal charm metal - sterling silver (.925 silver)
or bronze with oxidized sterling silver suspension rings
- charm only, the necklace chains are sold separately here.
- photographed with a US dime and a one inch ruler for scale

I've sand cast just the squirrel intaglio portion of a medieval (14th century) bronze chessman wax seal, cleaned it up and attached rings for suspension as a pendant.  Hand crafted one at a time in my little studio because how it's made matters.

Find an impression of the original medieval squirrel wax seal in sterling silver, available here.
The original medieval chessman handled seal is not available for purchase.

Impressed with history!

*You can see a seal matrix just like this in the collection at the Museum of London: http://collections.museumoflondon.org.uk/online/object/37618.html