Is the Earth Really Big or Really Small is a Grief Stone Hamsa — it’s like a talisman, something to keep in your pocket when you need a dose of strength and comfort.

Made with swirled polymer clay, glass, wood, and ceramic beads on silk thread. Included is a grief stone meditation card.

The hamsa is a palm-shaped symbol that is used as an amulet for protection, warding off the evil eye in both Jewish and Muslim cultures. A Grief Stone squeeze is like an embodied hamsa. Grief Stones began as a simple coping gesture and have morphed into a ritual object for grief and heartache. They are inspired by the Jewish tradition of placing stones on the headstone of a gravesite. Imprinting my hand into clay is a gesture of holding hands with my mother when I visit her gravesite. The act of gripping clay can simultaneously release anger — a fist — and comfort — like wrapping your fingers around a loved one.