Hatchling Sea Turtle Pendant

This solid sterling silver pendant was molded from a real baby sea turtle shell. I usually don’t make heart shaped things because I think it’s trite, but the size and availability of… um… materials… is limited. No sea turtles were harmed in my process.

Be sure to swipe to the end for MAXIMUM CUTENESS and before any of you @ me about touching baby sea turtles, I’ll give the disclaimer that this was under the direct supervision of a conservationist. We were in Tulum, Mexico and some nests hatch during the day. The buildup of sargassum combined with extreme heat, birds, and large fish make that a death sentence for baby turtles. The daytime hatchlings are collected as quickly as possible, stored in a safe place, and released just after sunset for the best chance of survival. We released 250 hatchlings that night and it was incredible. I saw a female crawl up on the beach by the moonlight and dig a hole to lay eggs. Core memory made.