Rudraksha / Lotus Earrings

The bronze tone lotus flower typically grows in muddy water.  It is thus associated with purity rising from unclean circumstances.  It represents purity in rebirth.  The bead is a rudraksha.

Rudraksha are sacred Hindu prayer beads.  In India, they are treated as valuable rare gemstones. Rudraksha are associated with the Hindu deity Shiva and are commonly worn for protection and for chanting mantras such as Om Namah Shivaya (Sanskrit: ॐ नमः शिवाय; Om Namaḥ Śivāya). They are often transferred with laboratory certifications. 

I found a strand of these sacred prayer beads at a Salvation Army thrift store in Shelbyville, KY in 2019.  I do not their origin, but they certainly look vintage if not antique.  I broke the original necklace down and set the individual beads aside for later.  I later assembled these earrings in 2022 with bronze tone findings and wire.

In all, I made 9 with these findings.