Island life is a fragile thing.

Deciding to live on a remote island is to enter into a complex balancing-act with the local environment. Your arrival puts an unusual drain on the carrying capacity of the land – something you need to offset if you want to survive. You gamble that the climate will help rather than hinder you. You trust that bouts of extreme weather will be fleeting. However hard you work to establish a toe-hold, you could be knocked off your feet by any number of factors – including sheer bad luck.

Such is the case with the remote Scottish archipelago of St. Kilda.

Head forty miles west of the Outer Hebrides, deep into the Atlantic Ocean, and you’ll find a cluster of fang-like islands forming the archipelago of St. Kilda, one of the most savage-weathered parts of Britain (waves up to 5 meters high; recorded windspeeds as high as 130 mph). Its forbidding cliffs, often inaccessible from the sea, include the sheerest drop to sea level in the whole of the UK. This is not a place you linger.

Tell that to its previous inhabitants. There have been people on St Kilda for 2,000 years. Or rather, there were, until 1930. Thanks to a tragic combination of crop failure, accidental contamination of the land and an unsustainably low population (70 people in 1920; 37 in 1928), the delicate ecological balance that had sustained a hundred generations of human inhabitants was broken. The St Kildans were a dying community – even with their dwindled numbers, the land couldn’t support them. They were too far from the mainland to rely on food deliveries until the soil recovered. They had no choice. On August 29th 1930, the remaining inhabitants were evacuated off the low-lying main island (Hirta) and back to mainland Scotland.

Since that day, the island has had no permanent population. It’s now a World Heritage Site and an important seabird breeding station, a place of scientific interest…and a poignant reminder of our relationship with the land we stand on.

Images: CaptainOates.

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St. Kilda, founded in 2004 by Nora Kogan, incorporates recycled metals and conflict-free stones into all her jewelry. Based in the ever-blooming designer borough of Brooklyn, each piece is heritage worthy.

Loved Ring, $315

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I hate Hallmark holidays, I hate Hallmark holidays, I hate Hallmark holidays…

Let’s have a little chat, my Valentine’s Day hater. I can hear the protests now: Don’t you know every day can be Valentine’s Day if you want it to be? Don’t you know you can tell people any day that they are loved and buy them lush bouquets of flowers or heart-shaped jewelry? Don’t you know you can have hot sex day or night, with or without champagne, and with or without sexy organic lingerie?

For Pete’s sake.

I get it, I do. But is a little Valentine’s day bliss really so bad? Heart-shaped corn syrup candies may not warm the cockles of your heart, but I’m willing to bet someone you love sure likes to know they’re appreciated this time of year. (I’m saying this as much for myself as anyone.) For all of us pink-tinged Scrooges and red-hued Grinches, today we make it easy: copy, paste, click, done.

This scarf by Vivien Pollack Design for $36 comes in all the lovely colors of spring and can be used in many ways on both Valentine’s Day as well as after: A pretty neck tie on a plain blouse, a belt on a high-waisted skirt or dress, a trendy turban, a tie for the bed post, a foreplay mask.

For a cute spin on jewelry, suggest this to someone and have them put a lock of hair, a love note or fortune cookie message referring to love eternal. Available at Beklina, these French enameled lockets for $98 come in fun candy colors much more delicious than a box of See’s.

Nothing says sex me up more than a silk teddy – and one from an eco-friendly catalog? Perfectly sinful from VivaTerra – we like their style (and it’s on sale for $39!).

Valentine’s Day is the best time to give or receive a pretty bottle of fragrance from the one you love and D.S. & Durga is at the top of the best scented list. Experiencing a perfume like The Orchid Drinkers or Five Step Waltz is pure sensory bliss. $86

The grand dame of all the gifts on February 14th is the eternal symbol of love (cue the fast-bowing violins), gasp, the ring. Here’s the most unusual one I’ve discovered, and if you give or get it this Valentine’s Day, send us a picture of you wearing it.

I love the description of the snake ring, or “ouroboros,” a snake biting its own tail: “An ouroboros is an ancient symbol of eternity and rebirth. To wit: Inscribed in hieroglyphics on an Egyptian wall was ‘the male serpent is bitten by the female serpent, the female serpent is bitten by the male serpent, Heaven is enchanted, earth is enchanted, the male behind mankind is enchanted.'”

St. Kilda, $1,292

Top Image From Rainbow Photos

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