FoundRae is expanding its Protection collection by adding La Loba Claw, in 18k gold and gemstone pendants, as a symbol of primal instinct, sovereignty, and intuition for those who wear it.
“I’ve always believed jewelry can be more than adornment. It can be a tool of self-expression and self-discovery,” says Beth Hutchens, the designer and entrepreneur behind FoundRae. “The wolf claw nods to the ancient association of the wolf, particularly the she-wolf, with guiding and protecting the soul—fierce, loyal, defiant, and intent on protecting our fundamental nature.”
The she-wolf (“la loba”) is found across art, music, and even food. Shakira sings about her. Jackson Pollock featured the she-wolf in his well-known splatter paintings. In Roman mythology, the she-wolf tended to the abandoned twins Romulus and Remus. There’s even a Detroit restaurant named after her.
In Hutchens’ view, the she-wolf is a trailblazer, finding her way even in the darkest of nights. This wolf creature knows when to fight, when to walk away, and how to preserve her freedom at all times. She knows that life is worth protecting, especially because you only get one chance at it, the designer says.
Protection is one of FoundRae’s tenets: The brand categorizes the motifs in its jewelry according to these “principles, or beliefs, that are spiritual cornerstones that define each one of us as well as inspire the next chapter,” explains the FoundRae website.
“Some of my favorite pieces from this collection are the ones that express both our Protection and Resilience tenets together—the first time we’ve combined tenets—in shield pendants, claws, horseshoes, and deep green gemstones,” says Hutchens. “We need protection against the external and internal sources that inhibit us from thriving, and resilience to reach our full potential.”
She notes that “Protection was one of the first tenets we launched at FoundRae, and this is the first time we have introduced new symbols into the collection—a decade later.
“New symbols such as the La Loba Claw and the horseshoe [can be] layered together with the original Protection symbols to further deepen the meaning and importance of this tenet,” says Hutchens.
La Loba Claw can be personalized, as seen in the engravable onyx version, one of the standout pieces in the new series. The oversize onyx stone chain gets your attention, and adding a special message or symbol to the claw itself takes it up another notch.
FoundRae debuted La Loba Claw last month, along with the latest one-of-a-kind jewels in the brand’s gemstone collectors series, which include a necklace combining seafoam-colored tourmaline with deep green emerald. Pairing such show-worthy gemstones with the symbols in FoundRae’s jewelry results in pieces that are rich and meaningful, Hutchens says.
Top: Engravable La Loba Claw Oversized Onyx Stone Necklace in yellow gold, $15,300 for 16-inch (photos courtesy of FoundRae)
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