Field Notes: Under a Mountain Sky

There is a particular kind of quiet that settles over the mountains after dark.

The edges soften. The sky seems bigger. Stars appear where, just a few hours earlier, there was only blue. And on the right night, a thin crescent moon hangs above the peaks.

The Wildflower Mountain Sky Necklace by Joy in the Morning feels like a small remembrance of that moment.

Across its semi-circle pendant, mountains rise beneath a scattering of stars and a crescent moon, while wildflowers grow along the trail below. Every tiny part of the landscape is stamped into the metal one element at a time by hand.

That matters.

Look closely and you'll see the subtle variations that come from something made by a person rather than a machine. No two mountain skies will be quite the same.

The pendant is finished simply, tumbled and brushed until the pewter silver has a soft satin surface. An 18-inch stainless steel chain attaches at either side, allowing the little landscape to sit quietly at the neckline.

There is no plating to eventually wear away. Just solid, untreated metal made to be worn, weathered and carried along.

Maybe that's what I like most about it.

It isn't simply a picture of the mountains. It feels like a tiny landscape you've brought home with you — mountains, wildflowers, moon and all.

For those of us who know that the mountains look a little different under a night sky.