In 2009, I created ExVoto, which means a testament of gratitude, as a form of creative therapy after my youngest daughter passed away from a brain tumor.
Just as ExVoto brings new life to vintage elements, the butterfly brings new life as it emerges from it’s cocoon as a new creation. I painted a series of butterfly watercolor paintings years ago by studying antique pen and ink illustrations of butterflies and then imagining my own colors and patterns for the wings.
A few years after forming ExVoto, I found a group of vintage butterfly pendants and created a necklace around them. When the stock was depleted, we cast a new pendant from the vintage one, styled it with vintage chain, and the butterfly lives on!
The Butterfly necklace has been a popular gift for graduates who are ready to fly off to their next phase of life. As we wear the butterfly, it is a nice reminder to ourselves that life is full of possibility, transformation and hope.
Shop our recently restocked Butterfly necklace!