The Sacred Heart is a symbol of suffering, devotion and love that endures despite the wounds. From Catholic iconography to gothic tattoo culture, this image of a flaming heart pierced and bleeding has captivated artists, mystics and rebels for centuries. As we unveil The Sacred Heart collection this month, we're exploring the symbol's dark beauty and its perfect union with ruby, the stone of passion and life force.
The Sacred Heart in Religious Iconography
The Sacred Heart originated in Catholic devotion as a representation of Christ's divine love and sacrifice. Depicted with flames rising from the top (symbolizing passionate love), encircled by a crown of thorns (suffering), and often pierced by a lance or arrows (wounds of betrayal and sin), it is the ultimate image of a heart that loves despite (and through) pain.
In religious art, the Sacred Heart is often rendered in vivid reds and golds, bleeding yet radiant, broken yet whole. It's a paradox made visual: vulnerability as strength, suffering as love, mortality as transcendence.
From Altar to Underground: The Gothic Adoption
The gothic subculture has long been drawn to Catholic and Christian imagery, not in mockery, but as recognition of shared themes. Death, beauty, suffering, transcendence, the sacred and profane intertwined. The Sacred Heart, with its visceral imagery of blood, thorns and flame, became a natural symbol for those who embrace darkness as part of the human experience.
In gothic art and tattoo culture, the Sacred Heart is often reimagined: rendered in black and grey, adorned with roses or daggers, paired with skulls or serpents. It becomes a symbol of personal devotion to love, to loss and to the willingness to feel deeply in a world that often demands numbness.
The Sacred Heart as a Symbol of Empathy
What makes the Sacred Heart so powerful is its insistence on remaining open. The heart is wounded, yes, but it still burns. It still loves. It refuses to harden, to shut down or to turn to stone. In a culture that often equates vulnerability with weakness, the Sacred Heart declares that an open heart is an act of courage.
As I wrote in The Storm Cloud Oracle:
"The world can be a cruel place and it is hard to go through life with an open heart without being wounded. It can be tempting to let your heart harden so that you don't have to endure the pain, but that only adds to the problem. The world does not need more hearts turned to stone. Stay soft. Be kind. Love freely. Because the more love you give, the more you will receive. Even a wounded heart still beats. Let yours be a light in the darkness."
This is the message of the Sacred Heart: that love is not diminished by suffering - it is proven by it.
Why I chose Ruby as the Sacred Heart's Stone
Ruby, a sometime deep pink, sometimes blood-red gemstone - is the perfect embodiment of the Sacred Heart's symbolism. Here's why:
The Fire within: Natural rubies fluoresce under UV light, emitting an inner glow. This 'trapped fire' echoes the flames that rise from the Sacred Heart - a burning passion that cannot be extinguished, even by suffering.
Strength through vulnerability: Ruby is one of the hardest gemstones, second only to diamond. Yet its beauty lies in its colour - the chromium inclusions that make it 'imperfect' are what make it precious. Like the Sacred Heart, ruby's power comes from what it carries within.
A stone of courage: Warriors wore rubies on their armour and even embedded them into their flesh, believing the stones would protect them in battle.
The Sacred Heart Collection
Our Sacred Heart collection honours this symbol's journey from altar to underground, from religious devotion to personal talisman. Each piece features ruby, the stone of passion, protection, and life force, set in designs that echo the Sacred Heart's iconic imagery: flames, thorns, radiant light and the eternal paradox of strength through vulnerability.
These are pieces for those who refuse to harden. For those who choose to love freely, feel deeply and let their hearts be a light in the darkness.
The Sacred Heart collection launches at the end of January. Explore the pieces and find the one that speaks to your open heart.