Broken Pearl

The Black Proposal is a marriage rite within Yzel involving the use of a black pearl fished from the sea and given to one's intended. The pearl is then worn on the person's body. This tradition grew from the association of black with stability and pearls with the sea, given Yzel's strength in merchant ships and their navy. 
In contrast, the broken pearl is a representation of war and destruction. When Raesay, the goddess of war, was rampaging after her birth from the chaos created by Coalate and Srirah, all jewels on the earth shattered under her feet or were crushed in her hands. Only when Braet was born and the rampage ended were the precious stones mended. This is meant to explain the shattering pattern seen in some gemstones and the irregular spikes in natural formations.
To wear a broken pearl, or a glass bead meant to resemble one, is to show that one invites chaos and calamity into not only their lives, but to the lives of those around them. At one time, this was enough to have one ostracized from polite society and among the zealots of the nation, it still is. A gift of a broken pearl is the ultimate insult regardless of religious devotion.
In recent years, however, some have begun to wear broken pearl jewelry as an act of social rebellion. They embrace both Raesay and Braet, often wearing a broken and whole pearl on the same piece of jewelry.
The color of the pearl is not important, but black is the most common. This is an inversion of marriage. Those of the counterculture who wish to remain single wear a broken black pearl. Other colors are also seen, keeping in line with the various color associations within Yzelian culture.

Item type

Clothing / Accessory