E-0528 Thorn Amulet — when nature meets silver
A Thorn Amulet is not a serial product but a one-of-one object: at the heart of every piece is a crystal of raw tourmaline — not faceted, not polished, left as nature shaped it — held inside a frame of silver thorns. Because every stone is one of one, every amulet built around it is one of one too. The 925 sterling silver passes through oxidation, taking on the deep, dark tone that has become the brand's calling card.
Updated August 22, 2026
- E-0528 Thorn Amulet is a one-of-one piece from STRUGA's RITUAL series: a crystal of raw tourmaline — not faceted, not polished — held in a frame of silver thorns.
- The metal is 925 sterling silver finished through oxidation; the dark tone is a result of that process, not a coating or paint.
- Three frame sizes exist — S, M and L — but within each size every piece is unrepeatable, because the shape, colour and size of the stone define the final look.
- Each amulet is handcrafted in STRUGA's Bali workshop and passes through one master's hands from start to finish: 12–20 hours of hand work spread across 7–10 days.
- E-0528 is a mono earring: the thorn frame sits on a classic earring base, worn singly or as an asymmetric pair. The same frame also exists as a necklace — two Thorn Amulet necklaces, 9 g and 12 g.
Some jewelry is built to a template. Some is born from the dialogue between the maker, the stone, and the silver. E-0528 Thorn Amulet is the second kind. Every amulet in this family is one of one, because every stone set inside its silver frame is one of one.
The form continues in current pieces: Thorn Amulet Earring #11 — Pink Tourmaline (M), and Thorn Amulet Earring #19 — Green Tourmaline (M).
Raw tourmaline in silver thorns
At the heart of every Thorn Amulet is a crystal of raw tourmaline. Not faceted, not polished — left as nature shaped it. The stone is held inside a frame of silver thorns, like a natural artefact found and preserved. The thorn frame construction is a signature element of STRUGA's RITUAL series.
The 925 sterling silver passes through oxidation, taking on the deep, dark tone that has become the brand's calling card. This is not just an ornament — it is an object with a character.
One stone, one piece
Every Thorn Amulet exists in a single copy. The shape, colour, and size of the tourmaline define the final look of the amulet. Three frame sizes are available — S, M, and L — but inside each size every piece is unrepeatable. This is the one-of-one principle: you receive not a serial product, but a singular object.
What sizes, weights and prices does E-0528 come in?
E-0528 exists in three frame sizes, and each size carries its own weight band and its own price. The numbers below are read off the STRUGA catalogue, not estimated.
| Size | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|
| S | 3.5–3.9 g | Rp 2,850,000 |
| M | 4.9–5.4 g | Rp 3,300,000 |
| L | 5.9–6.5 g | Rp 3,920,000 |
Weight moves inside a band instead of sitting on one figure, because the stone is raw: two M frames holding two different tourmalines will not come out at the same gram. Eighteen E-0528 variants have gone through the catalogue — thirteen in bare silver, five with the frame blackened before the stone was set.
Which stones go into the frame?
Pink, green, purple, grey and transparent tourmaline, and aquamarine. The stone is picked first and the frame is built around it, so the colour list records what has been made rather than what can be ordered.
The same raw stone answers a different question in a necklace: that construction is taken apart in Raw Tourmaline Crystal Amulet Necklace. What the AMULET family covers as a whole — earrings, necklaces, the logic of the one-of-one stone — is set out in the Atlas section AMULET.
Every E-0528 in the catalogue is sold
All eighteen read as sold out, and that is not a restock delay. An AMULET piece is finished before it is listed; once its stone is gone, the piece does not come back. To get one, describe the stone you want — colour, size, tone — through the Request a Similar Piece form, and the frame is built around the stone that answers it.
Handcrafted in Bali
Every STRUGA piece is made by hand in the Bali workshop. Silversmiths work each stone individually, choosing the angle of the setting and the proportions of the thorns. The process does not tolerate haste — every amulet passes through one master's hands from start to finish.
E-0528 is an earring: a classic earring base carries the thorn frame with the stone inside it. It is worn singly — a mono earring — or as an asymmetric pair. The AMULET family also holds two Thorn necklaces, where the same frame hangs on a chain instead of an ear.
Where to find
The full E-0528 model is on the E-0528 Thorn Amulet page. If you want to choose a stone of a specific colour or size, send a request through the Request a Similar Piece form.
The wider RITUAL series is in the RITUAL collection.
Why the Thorn line works as amulet design
STRUGA's Thorn line sits at a specific intersection — sharp architectural geometry meets the protective-amulet tradition. Each piece in the line draws from both vocabularies: the form is contemporary and structural, the function is ancient and symbolic.
The Thorn motif appears across cultures as a protective symbol — barriers against intrusion, marks of territorial integrity, sharp edges that signal «do not cross.» In jewelry form, this translates into pieces that read as protective without being literal weapons. The wearer carries the symbolic weight without making it explicit.
How a Thorn amulet is made
Each Thorn piece moves through STRUGA's standard hand-cast production:
- Wax model — the sharp spines and surrounding architecture are shaped in wax, either by hand or 3D-printed and refined.
- Casting — molten 925 silver fills the prepared mold, capturing every spine and edge.
- Hand finishing — file work refines the spine geometry; the surfaces between spines get attention to create deliberate texture.
- Stone setting (where applicable) — for pieces with raw tourmaline or aquamarine stones, the setter adapts the bezel to the specific irregular crystal.
- Oxidation — the recessed areas darken; the spine tips remain bright. The light-shadow contrast emphasizes the sharpness.
Total production time: 12–20 hours of hand work, spread across 7–10 days. Each piece carries microscopic asymmetries from the hand process — no two Thorn amulets are identical.
Other variations in the same family: Thorn Amulet Earring #22 — Green Tourmaline (S), Thorn Amulet Earring #3 — Pink Tourmaline (S), and Thorn Amulet Earring #5 — Pink Tourmaline (M).
The Thorn family — different pieces, shared logic
- Thorn rings. Architectural rings with thorn-shaped surfaces. Sit between brutalism and ornament.
- Thorn earrings. Mono earrings or asymmetric pairs. Often combined with raw tourmaline crystals — the warm stone against the sharp metal.
- Thorn pendants and amulets. Standalone pieces meant to be worn on chains. Often the most ornament-like, with spines radiating from a central form.
- Thorn cuffs. Rare but produced occasionally. Heavy cuffs with thorn-element placements.
Browse the full Thorn collection to see the family.
Living Silver and the Thorn aesthetic
Thorn pieces age particularly well as Living Silver. The spine tips brighten through contact with clothing, skin, surfaces — making the sharp points visually emphasized. The recessed areas around the spines deepen, creating contrast that grows over months. The piece becomes more sculptural with wear.
Some Thorn pieces are also produced as intentionally Blackened pieces with pre-applied oxidation. Both versions develop wear patterns; the Blackened version starts darker and deepens further through wear.
About STRUGA. STRUGA is a dark silver jewelry brand founded by Dmitry Strugovshchikov and Ekaterina Strugovshchikova, handcrafted with Balinese and international silversmiths. Every piece is 925 sterling silver, naturally oxidized or hand-patinated. The darkening is part of the design. It is a brutalist object that reacts and changes through contact with the environment and the wearer.
Frequently asked questions
Didn’t find the answer — write to us, we reply personally.
Ask a question →01Is a Thorn Amulet a serial product?+–
No. A Thorn Amulet is not a serial product but a singular, one-of-one object. Three frame sizes exist — S, M and L — yet inside each size every piece is unrepeatable, because the shape, colour and size of the raw tourmaline define the final look.
02Is the tourmaline faceted or polished?+–
Neither. The stone is raw tourmaline — not faceted, not polished, left as nature shaped it. It is held inside a frame of silver thorns like a natural artefact found and preserved, rather than a cut gem.
03Is the dark tone a coating or paint?+–
No. The dark tone is not a coating but the result of oxidation applied to the 925 sterling silver during the work — the deep, dark finish that has become the brand's calling card, not a layer added over the metal.
04Is a Thorn Amulet only a ritual object?+–
No. E-0528 is an earring and goes into daily rotation like any other: a mono earring on one ear, or an asymmetric pair. The ritual reading comes from the one-of-one stone, not from a separate occasion to wear it.
05Are Thorn pieces uncomfortable to wear?+–
The spines are sharp visually but not literally — they're filed smooth enough to be safe in daily wear. They won't catch on clothing aggressively or scratch the wearer.
06Can a Thorn ring be worn daily?+–
Yes. The construction is robust enough for daily wear in most contexts. Active jobs (heavy manual work, contact sports) need the ring removed; office and creative work allows daily wear without issue.
07How does the Thorn aesthetic compare to other STRUGA collections?+–
THORN is the most ornamental of STRUGA's eleven families. BRUTALISM is the most reductive; BLADE is the most modular; SIGNATURE ASYMMETRIC is the most architectural. THORN occupies the «sharp ornamental» register — more visual content than BRUTALISM, less ornamental than gothic-tradition pieces.
08Why pair Thorn with raw tourmaline?+–
The contrast works. Sharp cold metal against warm raw stone. The architectural geometry against the natural irregular crystal. Each emphasizes the other through opposition.
09Can I have a custom Thorn piece?+–
Yes through Custom Order. The Thorn vocabulary translates well to custom proportions and personalized stone choices. Lead time 3–6 weeks.
10What about Thorn earrings — are they pin or post?+–
STRUGA Thorn earrings come in several formats — pin earrings (long thread-through), studs (with backs), mono earrings (single asymmetric pieces). Choose by the wearer's existing earring preference.
11Will the spines deform over time?+–
No. The spine geometry is structurally robust at the thicknesses used. Heavy impact (dropping the piece, crushing it) can deform anything; normal daily wear does not.
Continue from the journal to a current STRUGA object: Thorn Earring.
