‘The Last Supermoon’

Welcome. Tonight is the night of the fourth and final ‘Supermoon’ of 2024.

A Supermoon, for those who aren’t familiar, is when the moon is at its closest point to the earth in its elliptical orbit, resulting in the moon to appear to us much larger than usual.

So tonight, after reading this newsletter, or maybe after reading the poem below, I insist you to take a moment to yourself to step outside, or peer out your window, and say hello to the last supermoon of the year.

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Lament ✶

Luna De Sangre ✶ Shop Update

After my long summer hiatus away from this newsletter, I am so excited to be back here, to finally have the time and space to continue to share bits of my life with you all. Thank you so much for being here with me tonight…

First, let’s go all the way back to the very beginning of the summer, back when I released a single piece of jewelry that completely changed my year, in so many ways. Her name, ‘The Constanze Rosary Anklet’. A rosary inspired adornment I designed with the help of an incredible tattoo artist and partner, Shelton Stewart.

Together, Shelton & I created the ‘Constanze Rosary Anklet’ with the intention of having the jewelry design drawn out, and later, tattooed onto my ankle.

So here’s what we did in the month of June, I designed and assembled a rosary inspired anklet, the final design was then sketched out by Shelton, who then tattooed the piece around the entirety of my ankle. This anklet quickly became a cherished jewelry piece of mine, one that I could never misplace.

The flood of orders I received after releasing the ‘Constanze Rosary Anklet’ and sharing the final photos of the tattoo along with the story behind the piece, had me working day and night for many, many months (something I was, and still am more than grateful for). This anklet is now one of my top selling items on the shop & honestly one of my favorite pieces to create to this day.

For this, I am so grateful. To whomever shared this piece online, followed along with the many updates I posted of the design process, or bought the anklet to wear alongside with me, I want to thank you so much. Your support means the world to me and it allows me to continue to bring my designs to life. The anklet is fully stocked and available to purchase on the shop as well as the tattoo design itself. If you ever find yourself in Brooklyn, NY, wanting a matching rosary anklet tattoo, feel free to contact Shelton Stewart, @tugboat_tattoo over on Instagram to book an appointment.

So now, here we are, in the middle of Autumn, where the days have become colder & my orders have become much more steady. With this extra free time, I am now able to consistently update this newsletter again and I will continue to do so during the colder months ahead. So, let’s begin, let us dive into what I’ve been up to since the last time we spoke.

Tonight, I will be sharing a recent addition to the 2024 Luna De Sangre jewelry collection, a book I recently read and fell in love with alongside its award winning author, the movies I’ve had (and will continue to have) on repeat this upcoming winter & a small sneak peek at my upcoming jewelry collection set to release at the end of this month.

First up, The Denari Coin Purse…

The ‘Denari’ Chainmail Coin Purse ♱

I have always wanted to try my hand at chainmail, the way chainmail moves and adheres to the skin like fabric has always been so enchanting to me. It was time to learn something new. Of course, I knew this task would be a hard one, connecting hundreds upon hundreds of small rings is not (and should never be mistaken for) a simple task. So I did what I always do when I want to learn something new, I bought a book. The ‘Complete Chainmail Tutorial Collection’ by ‘Chainmail Joe’ was an integral part of learning the art of modern day chainmail patterns & techniques for me. I highly encourage you to take a look at this book if you too wish to learn the basics of chainmail weaving.

So while I read this book and began to master the European 4 in 1 Chainmail pattern, mundanely connecting link after link, I started to wonder… where exactly did chainmail originate from? When was chainmail first created and how laborious was it to make back then? I vaguely knew that chainmail was mostly used to make armor for royals or for those in high command back in the 16th century or so but I suddenly had so many questions… Who was creating these pieces and were they being paid? Did they like doing this job? And were they creating chainmail using the same techniques we use today?

That’s when I learned that chainmail making was arguably one of the worst and most laborious royal jobs of the Medieval time period and that the Celts are mostly accredited to the invention of chainmail. Some of the earliest surviving chainmail pieces were found in Romania and Slovakia dating back to the 3rd century BC! And no, I was absolutely not creating chainmail the same way they were back then. Far from it.

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A week of trial and error and many history lessons later, the ‘Denari’ Chainmail Coin Purse was born. Consisting of over 1,500 stainless steel jump rings.

After finalizing this piece, I decided to name her ‘Denari’, de-nar-ee, after the Ancient Roman coin used during the Roman Empire.

Shop The Full Moon Sale 

 A Recent 5 Star Read…

Wow. Just wow. I have never picked up a short story collection quite like this one. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, ‘Ghostroots’ is a collection of 12 stories that intertwine the supernatural with themes centered around motherhood, infidelity, revenge, loneliness, loss, but also love, healing & hope. Pemi Aguda’s writing style is one like no other, although the stories in this short story collection are not connected, her voice intertwines each story beautifully. I found myself finishing this book in just 3 days and I immediately sought out more work from her only to find out that ‘Ghostroots’ is her debut novel, Aguda’s first and only, and I will absolutely be one of the first to get my hands on her next one. Truly one of the best books I’ve had the honor of reading this year, Pemi Aguda, you are my new favorite author.

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Synopsis of ‘Ghostroots’ by Pemi Aguda

A debut collection of stories set in a hauntingly reimagined Lagos where characters vie for freedom from ancestral ties.

In this beguiling collection of twelve imaginative stories set in Lagos, Nigeria, ’Pemi Aguda dramatizes the tension between our yearning to be individuals and the ways we are haunted by what came before.

In “Manifest,” a woman sees the ghost of her abusive mother in her daughter’s face. Shortly after, the daughter is overtaken by wicked and destructive impulses. In “Breastmilk,” a wife forgives her husband for his infidelity. Months later, when she is unable to produce milk for her newborn, she blames herself for failing to uphold her mother’s feminist values and doubts her fitness for motherhood. In “Things Boys Do,” a trio of fathers finds something unnatural and unnerving about their infant sons. As their lives rapidly fall to pieces, they begin to fear that their sons are the cause of their troubles. And in “24, Alhaji Williams Street,” a teenage boy lives in the shadow of a mysterious disease that’s killing the boys on his street.

These and other stories in Ghostroots map emotional and physical worlds that lay bare the forces of family, myth, tradition, gender, and modernity in Nigerian society. Powered by a deep empathy and glinting with humor, they announce a major new literary talent.

Winter Movie Recommendations

If you’re anything like me, you too adore royal history. All throughout the fall and winter seasons, you can find me at my desk, designing jewelry with any one of these historical period dramas below streaming in the background…

‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ (2008) - Stream for Free on Pluto TV

King Henry VIII lacks an heir. Seeing this as an opportunity for personal gain, the Duke of Norfolk and Sir Thomas Boleyn persuade Thomas' daughter Anne to seduce the king. But Henry falls in love with Anne's sister, Mary, instead. When Mary becomes pregnant, she's confined to bed, with charged with Anne keeping the king from straying -- but the plan backfires when Anne seeks the king's affections for herself.

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‘The Duchess’ (2008) - Stream for Free on Pluto TV

Following the tumultuous life of the 18th-century Duchess of Devonshire, a bright, popular aristocrat who is trapped in a failed marriage and has to face personal conflicts - including living with her husband's mistress and falling passionately in love with a young politician. Based on Amanda Foreman's bestselling novel `Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire'.

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‘The King’ (2019) - Stream on Netflix

Young Henry V encounters deceit, war and treachery after becoming King of England in the 15th century, in the aftermath of his brother's death.

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If you have any movie or book reccomendations for me, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

(The comment section is only available on the official website, if you’re reading this newsletter in your email, please click here to leave your comment.) ❦

What’s To Come?

My upcoming 2024 Fall/Winter collection will feature many crystals with Autumnal tones such as topaz and amber, pearls of different shapes and hues, more chainmail patterns of course & I am more than thrilled to announce that I will be stepping back into using antique bronze metal in more of my work as I did in the early months of 2022.

I can’t wait to share this upcoming collection with you! Make sure to follow me over on my Instagram, @lunadesangre, where I post weekly updates on all things jewelry related as well as sale codes every New & Full Moon.

Before I Say Goodbye…

To end the night, I would love to leave you with four paintings I’ve recently come across that have greatly inspired my work, either thematically or through color scheme, may they do the same for you.

Click here to log into the ‘Luna De Sangre’ Newsletter Archives to view past articles or share your thoughts & recommendations with me, I’d love to hear from you…

Dedication: This ‘Luna De Sangre’ Newsletter Issue #5 is dedicated to Jameson Pitts, I can’t believe you read my entire backlog. This issue was written with you in mind my friend, we can’t wait to have you in the city next year. xx.