Ahhh. March...month of the most random national observation days. Yes, for those of you who missed National Cheese Doodle Day (March 5th), you can still observe National Blueberry Popover Day (March 10th) or National Crown Roast of Pork Day (March 8th). To many of us, the month of March provides a lackluster 31 more days of chilly weather, when all we want is legitimate warmth and the spring thaw.
But March is when I like to sit back, reflect upon and celebrate... circles. You may ask: "Why circles?" Duh. Because March 14th is National Pi Day. You know: 3/14 or 3.14159265358979323846264338327950.....Pi is the symbol ascribed to the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Because Pi is a mathematical constant, it never stops. Just another trippy, albeit nerdy, thing about circles.
Like the month of March, circles,in contemporary Western Civ, do not typically receive star treatment. Both tend to be overlooked and underrated. However, to people of yore, March was the season in which Earth began teeming with new life just under the snow. Similarly, circles back in the day inspired some pretty intense symbolism: totality, wholeness, perfection, the Self, the infinite, eternity, timelessness, cyclical movement, even God: "God is a circle whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere." (Hermes Trismegistus). Heavy. The circle symbolizes potential, and is said to have a magical value as a protective agent. The circle indicates the end of the process of individuation, of striving towards a psychic wholeness and self-realization.
This translates quite well into jewelry; there are just so many circles: rings, chokers, bracelets, hoops...the list is, well, eternal. Like the Circle of Life, or the Wheel in the Sky, for all you Journey fans. I invite you all to adorn yourself with as many circles as you possibly can. Together, we can restore the circle's former glory and look fabulous as we do it.
The inspirational circle in the photo is Jenstone's Mother of Pearl Ripple Wheel Pendant, a handmade pendant made with a mother of pearl circle surrounded by a ripple of hammered sterling silver.
Leave a comment