Pebblebellies Magical Pebble Pendants

I am grateful to live, work and be nourished by the much of the beautiful land in British Columbia which remains unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) K'ómoks and 'Na̱mg̱is Nations.

The Pebblebelly Story

For thousands of years, and only during certain months in the year, Orca whales have been traveling to a very small number of extraordinary beaches along some of the most breathtaking remote islands scattered throughout British Columbia’s Central Coast in order to rub their bellies on the smooth stones that make up these beaches. This behaviour seems to be an important ritual for these complex, highly social creatures. To witness it, pure magic. 

My longstanding ties to the small community that is home to one of these rubbing beaches originated when I first began traveling there 25 years ago for my work in marine conservation with local communities, First Nations, and researchers protecting the marine environment. 

Today as a full time artist, and with the blessing from local residents, conservationists and the stewards of this special beach, I collect a limited number of these pebbles each year for this series, replacing the volume of the rocks I remove with similar rocks that I purchase from companies who have removed truckloads of these beautiful rocks to sell in garden centres and to pave driveways across the province.  

Adorning ourselves with beautiful objects with natural objects is an important, sacred even, part of the human ritual. And while I love gemstones, I have often found it difficult to reconcile their beauty with the terrible impact mining them has on our earth in order to make jewelry.

It brings me great joy to collaborate with nature (the stones speak to me and I to them) to create these truly magical pieces that are grounding and meaningful to their wearers, gentle on the earth, and benefit Orca whales who visit me regularly as my guides and protectors in dreams and visions. 

A portion of the earnings from each Pebblebelly goes directly to funding Orca Research so that we can better understand their vocalizations, patterns and behaviour and better protect the places that are important to them. 

Shop available Pebblebellies or get on The Pebblebelly Waiting List