Penelope was the clever wife of Odysseus who created schemes to avoid appeasing the suitors crowding her home and demanding her hand in marriage. First, she told them she must weave a fine funeral shroud for Odysseus's father. She wove all day then undid much of the work during the night and continued this for years until betrayed by a handmaiden and caught in the act. Next, she pretended to consider their courtship and arranged contests to test their strength and fitness as husbands. When confronted with her beloved husband after twenty years absence, she could not believe it without a test of her own: she asks her maid to move her bed which she knows cannot be moved since one of the bedposts is a living olive tree. Odysseus responds with disbelief, has she destroyed the bed he had built?! She knows then it is Odysseus and not a cruel trick and so ends their long suffering. The brilliant blue stone in the pendant is topaz, whose name comes from Sanskrit for "fire". Topaz is a hard, typically colorless stone that has been mistaken for diamond. Most colored topaz has been treated in some fashion to enhance the color. Yellow Brazilian topaz becomes pink when heated and colorless topaz turns into deep shades of blue with irradiation, such as the blue topaz featured here. Topaz has been long used to fight depression and ward off the evil eye, and certainly these qualities would have been useful to Penelope! Plus, the cut and style are both simple and beautiful - also speaking to Penelope's beauty and practical nature. The pendant is paired with a lightweight sterling silver curb chain.

Cost: $61.00 USD

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• Color: blue
• Material: challengers
• Type: necklace - mid
• Geek Chic: literary allusions
• Cool Finds: cool stones

Length: necklace - 18"

Materials:

• faceted blue topaz set in sterling silver
• sterling silver 1.2mm curb chain

Care & cleaning: Clean with warm soapy water and avoid chemical or abrasive cleaners. Use a soft jewelry polishing cloth to clean tarnish appearing on silver.

The pendant and chain are robust to toddler tugs, but as with all beaded jewelry: do not let young toddlers chew on it.

This 18" necklace and pendant are versatile and can be worn with casual tops (crew necks, V-necks) and higher-neck blouses or deeper V collared shirts.