Full description

Hedgehogs were once a common site in British back gardens. We grew up alongside them and quietly assumed they'd always be there. They very nearly aren't. Britain has lost nearly three quarters of its hedgehogs since the 1950s. The creature that felt like the safest symbol of an English garden - bumbling, beloved, seemingly indestructible - turns out to have needed our help all along, and we didn't notice until almost too late.

The hedgehog has always meant something in these islands. Older traditions saw her as a creature of practical magic - resourceful, resilient, unhurried. She simply gets on with things, spines out, nose down, trusting that the world will make enough room.

Thistlethorn is an original design sculpted in clay by me, Steve Braund, a professional sculptor whose work has contributed to major tv and independent film productions. This hedgehog pendant is cast in gold coloured resin and set into a real hand-polished half walnut shell and set on a bed of sparkly translucent epoxy resin in a colour of your choice. It arrives with a hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity in a stamped gift box.

The necklace hangs on a hand-tied cord so that you can adjust it to compliment your chosen outfit.

Wear her as a reminder that even the most guarded among us are allowed to curl up and rest.

I donate ten percent of all profits directly to registered British wildlife charities who support conservation work on our beautiful island. The British hedgehog is now classed as vulnerable to extinction, and she needs more than a gap in a garden fence to find her way home.

- Hand-cast from an original clay master in gold coloured resin

- Set in a real polished half walnut shell

- Your choice of coloured epoxy resin base

- Hand-tied cord

- Hand signed and dated Certificate of Authenticity

Warning: This necklace contains real walnut shells and may cause severe allergic reactions for people with tree nut allergies.