Handmade and casted in the USA, this double sided sterling shield pendant features a list of five Latin words that reflect the qualities of a good mother figure, a heart with the north star, and the well-known phrase AMOR VINCIT OMNIA ("love conquers all").
The front of the pendant features the Latin word ALMA above a heart in front of the north star, encompassed by a wreath of laurels. ALMA means “nourishing,” “kind,” or “nurturing,” for the love and nourishment mothers give and the support they contribute as we learn to strike out on our own. The heart image and the crest shape of the pendant represent the ways that mothers nurture their families and are a symbol of unconditional love. The north star symbolizes family, used as the guide-point for a mother's values and priorities. A wreath of laurels was historically used to denote wisdom and honor, and stands for the discernment needed in a mother's leadership.
On the back of the pendant is the phrase AMOR VINCIT OMNIA. The idiom was perhaps made most famous by the Italian Baroque artist Caravaggio and his painting of the same title. The painting depicts a brazen Cupid, the Roman god of love, knocking over many symbols of human endeavors and civilization, offering the commentary that art, war, music, and exploration pale in comparison to the pursuit (or possession) of love. Virgil is credited with first coining the phrase, and he truly said it best: OMNIA VINCIT AMOR: ET NOS CEDAMUS AMORI - “Love conquers all; let us, too, yield to love!”
Around the edge of the pendant are four Latin words that describe more qualities of a good mother:
MAGNANIMA means courageous and brave, for the anchoring force that a mother figure can provide and a comforting undercurrent through life.
PIETAS means devoted and loyal, for the care are and patience that a mother shows on a daily basis.
SUSTENTANS means sustaining and nurturer, for a mother's literal and figurative life-giving qualities.
MATER means mother, a role that is the sum of all these parts and many more besides.
