The Warning is a large, heavy sterling silver dagger pendant on a fine silver chain. An antique yellow sapphire sits in a heart at its centre, while black spinels edge the cross guard. The blade bears the words THERE WOULD BE DANGER.
The words behind The Warning
The engraving draws on Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Tess has returned home and turns to her mother, asking why no one warned her:
“O mother, my mother!” cried the agonized girl, turning passionately upon her parent as if her poor heart would break. “How could I be expected to know? I was a child when I left this house four months ago. Why didn't you tell me there was danger in men-folk? Why didn't you warn me?”
Nobody did.
That unanswered question gives the pendant its darker story. The words are carried in silver, a literary fragment made tangible.
Materials and details
- Large, heavy sterling silver dagger pendant
- Fine silver chain included
- Antique yellow sapphire set in a heart
- Black spinels edging the cross guard
- Sunburst in relief above the cross guard
- Tapered blade with three small dots on the lower shaft
- Blade engraved THERE WOULD BE DANGER
- Approximately 4-5 inches
- Handmade in England
- Hallmarked at the London Assay Office
An antique sapphire with its own history
The yellow sapphire shows signs of wear that come with its age. Those marks are part of the antique stone's history, not a promise of a flawless new gemstone.
Sapphire is the September birthstone, offering another personal connection for a meaningful date.
Commission lead time
If this piece is out of stock, it can be commissioned. Please allow six weeks.
For questions about the pendant, its antique stone or commission timings, contact me to discuss The Warning.
