Josephine

Patron saint of Sudan and victims of human trafficking- Feast Day February 8

Honoring a remarkable and inspiring saint, our Josephine earrings are symbols of hope and joy. Iridescent black pearls form the center, surrounded by a halo of polished gold sunflower petals. St. Josephine Bakhita was associated with sunflowers and known for her cheerful and sunny disposition, even though her life was marked by loss and grief. 

Dimensions: 15mm

Materials: natural black pearls; 14k gold vermeil (gold-filled posts)

Josephine Bakhita was born around 1869 in Darfur, Sudan. She remembered being happy and carefree until around age nine, when she was kidnapped and sold into slavery. As a slave, Josephine underwent terrible physical and mental torments, including being carved into over a hundred times with a razor, and the wounds salted.

Josephine’s last home as a slave was with an Italian merchant who brought her back to Venice. Josephine was left to care for the merchant’s child in a community of Canossian Sisters. This is where she first encountered a Master above all: God. Josephine appealed for and gained her freedom, received the Sacraments, and took vows to join the Canossian Sisters. She became a saint in 2000.