Okinawan Sand / Cyanotype Porcelain Earrings and Necklace

Large but lightweight earrings and necklace with cyanotype prints of real sand grains from Okinawa island.

Tiny stars which shapes are printed over these porcelain pieces are real sand grains from Okinawa prefecture (Japan). On the scientific side, star grains belong to biogenic sands produced by foraminifera - bottom-dwelling marine microorganisms. They live their timid life in the sea, but end up on the shores of Okinawa brought up by typhoons and strong storms. Tiny sand grains in the shape of stars are also the subject of a beautiful Okinawan legend. According to the story, star-shaped sand grains are remains of the children of the North Star and the Southern Cross thrown into the ocean by the giant snake monster.

The prints were applied using the cyanotype technique. This method is a handmade process allowing the development of an image by combining chemical dye and sunlight. The invention of this method is attributed to John Frederick William Hershel, an astronomer, and physicist, who introduced cyanotypes in the 1800s. The term 'cyanotype' is derived from the Greek κυάνεος - kuáneos, “dark blue” + τύπος - túpos, “mark, impression, type”. In contrast to traditional photography using silver salt, cyanotypes implement a slow-reacting formulation containing iron salt resulting in the illustrious Prussian Blue colour upon exposure to near-ultraviolet and blue light.

The main pieces of this set were hand-sculpted from Ming Po porcelain (not plastic or "cold porcelain") and fired in a kiln at high temperatures. They were produced in a single version and represent unique pieces of jewellery.

Each item from my shop will be sent to you in individually designed handmade packaging with a description tag. It is ready to be gifted to yourself or someone special (no pricing information is included in the packaging).

Please, check the shop policies before ordering.

The shipping is handled by La Poste (French mail service). Feel free to contact me if you want to use a different courier service or a faster shipping method. Please note that I do not carry responsibility for items lost or destroyed by postal services for reasons independent of me.