The Roses of Heliogabalus Zine (Limited Edition)

Unit price: per

Your piece will be made-to-order. Please allow 4-6 weeks for us to create the piece before shipping to you.

Quantity

Shipping calculated at checkout.

Free shipping (USA & Canada) on orders over $975

Handcrafted with care in Montreal

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Ethically-sourced and conflict-free stones, recycled gold

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About

A queer, speculative tale inspired by the spellbinding painting of the same name by the artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. It follows the tyrant emperor, Heliogabalus, as he starves a city of his people so that he can grow thousands of roses for a banquet. His muse: the queer poet Abu Nuwas—an anachronism plucked from time. The banquet is filled with poetry and Bacchic opulence, and its apex depicts the moment in the painting where he smothers his guests to death under petals of roses.

Limited Edition signed by Sofia Ajram. Cover illustration by Nadhir Nor.

Description:

Queer erotic body horror short story "The Roses of Heliogabalus". Saddle stitched, signed. Measures 5x7", 30 pages.

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"The Roses of Heliogabalus" first appeared in THE PLEASURE IN PAIN: A QUEER HORROTICA ANTHOLOGY (2024).

Listing is for one zine.
About the Designer

Founded in 2016, each piece is an unconventional, tender exploration with symbolism, borrowing from the worlds of art, history, and science in a harmonious juxtaposition of luxury and storytelling. Sofia works to create ceremonial jewelry that is alive with meaning, handcrafted to be passed down over lifetimes.
Sofia Ajram is the Canadian Arts and Fashion Award-winning Designer of Sofia Zakia jewelry. She is also the author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning novella Coup de Grâce. Sofia lives in Montreal with her cat Isa.

Growing up, she cultivated a strong interest in speculative cinema and literature and applied those interests to the several facets of visual arts. In 2011 she began metalsmithing classes with a focus in wax carving. In 2016, Sofia launched Sofia Zakia, a channel to combine her fascination with the art of goldsmithing and jewelry’s long and wonderful history of wearable objects with meaning.
Sofia strives to join the quiet intimacy and elegance of jewelry into communion with the magic of poetry: heirloom objects that act as mirrors to love, pulling threads of inspiration from myth, literature, art, and memory, both new and old; universal and personal.

Meet Sofia
Care Information

Our pieces are delicate by nature, so we encourage our customers to take extra care when wearing Sofia Zakia pieces, especially rings. Please try to remove jewelry when doing rough handwork that may damage the stones. We also recommend removing your jewelry when washing your hands, showering and sleeping.
Standard shipping

DO YOU SHIP INTERNATIONALLY?
Yes! We are happy to provide international shipping. We are unable to ship to Ascension Island, India, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malta, Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, or Tristan da Cunha at this time.

What are your shipping costs?

All prices quoted below are in USD$ currency. Please note the following rate structure for most orders:
Domestic (Canada) ::
Under $500 ($21) –– Between $500 - $975 ($30) –– Over $975 (FREE)
United States ::
Under $975 (Canada Post) ($23) –– Under $975 with Signature ($35) –– Over $975 (FREE)
Asia ::
Under $975 ($66) –– Over $975 ($45)
Rest of the World ::
Under $850 ($57)–– Between $975 - $1200 ($40) –– Over $1200 ($45)
All jewelry pieces are shipped via Canada Post or FedEx and come with tracking. Signature can be added at checkout by selecting the appropriate shipping method. Packages are shipped out the day they are completed.
For stationery and small home goods, shipping is calcualted at checkout.
For express shipping, please e-mail us at info@sofiazakia.com
We are not responsible for lost parcels or delays due to weather or holds at customs. If you would like a shipment delivered there, please consider an alternative recipient address.
Ethos & Materials

Our relationship to the design process begins with materials themselves, wrought from the enchanting poetry of our home planet.
Our precious stones are responsibly sourced from Sri Lanka, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Tanzania, and the United States. As often as we can, we work with miner-to-market gemstone collaborators, artisan gem cutters, and gem dealers dedicated to transparent supply chains and education on responsible sourcing practices. Most often, we work with Capricorn Gems, Columbia Gem House, Moyo Gems, Caleb Quashen, Misfit Diamonds, and Sorbet Sapphire. We are proud to work with natural recycled diamonds and conflict-free gold and silver to ensure our supply chains includes well-researched, transparent relationships which exclude destructive environmental practices and improve miner work safety and improve trade opportunities for miners.

Sustainability

Every piece is handmade from start to finish by our Montreal studio to ensure quality heirloom pieces that can be passed down from generation to generation. We have an enduring commitment to environmental principles, from artisanal studio methods to non-toxic, low energy requirements for local production. We work with Canadian suppliers as well as artisanal and small-scale mining and cutting operations to find materials that support social and economic impacts at the source.
Each piece is completely designed, carved, engraved, set, polished, finished, and thoughtfully wrapped in our Montreal jewelry studio. We do absolutely everything in-house outside of metal casting, which is hand-cast in a local, family-owned casting house just up the street from our atelier.

Paying it Forward

Thanks to your support, Sofia Zakia has been a charitable company from the start. We donate 5% of sales on each Worry Doll to Mayan Families, a nonprofit organization aimed at providing education, nutrition, shelter and medical care to those living in extreme poverty in rural Guatemala. 100% of Waves of Song Necklace sales are donated to the CMHA.
We have and will continue to donate to local and international fundraisers such as Cedars Cancer Foundation, NYACC, The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, The Loveland Foundation, WIRES Wildlife Rescue, The Canadian Mental Health Association, Planned Parenthood, Trans Lifeline, Ethical Metalsmiths, among others. These practices, especially those that interact with the national quality of life of our Canadian community are benchmark of importance to us.

Description

About

A queer, speculative tale inspired by the spellbinding painting of the same name by the artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. It follows the tyrant emperor, Heliogabalus, as he starves a city of his people so that he can grow thousands of roses for a banquet. His muse: the queer poet Abu Nuwas—an anachronism plucked from time. The banquet is filled with poetry and Bacchic opulence, and its apex depicts the moment in the painting where he smothers his guests to death under petals of roses.

Limited Edition signed by Sofia Ajram. Cover illustration by Nadhir Nor.

Description:

Queer erotic body horror short story "The Roses of Heliogabalus". Saddle stitched, signed. Measures 5x7", 30 pages.

"The Roses of Heliogabalus" first appeared in THE PLEASURE IN PAIN: A QUEER HORROTICA ANTHOLOGY (2024).

Listing is for one zine.

About the Designer

Care Information

Shipping

Ethos & Materials

Our relationship to the design process begins with materials themselves, wrought from the enchanting poetry of our home planet.

Our precious stones are responsibly sourced from Sri Lanka, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Tanzania, and the United States. As often as we can, we work with miner-to-market gemstone collaborators, artisan gem cutters, and gem dealers dedicated to transparent supply chains and education on responsible sourcing practices. Most often, we work with Capricorn Gems, Columbia Gem House, Moyo Gems, Caleb Quashen, Misfit Diamonds, and Sorbet Sapphire. We are proud to work with natural recycled diamonds and conflict-free gold and silver to ensure our supply chains includes well-researched, transparent relationships which exclude destructive environmental practices and improve miner work safety and improve trade opportunities for miners.

Sustainability

Every piece is handmade from start to finish by our Montreal studio to ensure quality heirloom pieces that can be passed down from generation to generation. We have an enduring commitment to environmental principles, from artisanal studio methods to non-toxic, low energy requirements for local production. We work with Canadian suppliers as well as artisanal and small-scale mining and cutting operations to find materials that support social and economic impacts at the source.

Each piece is completely designed, carved, engraved, set, polished, finished, and thoughtfully wrapped in our Montreal jewelry studio. We do absolutely everything in-house outside of metal casting, which is hand-cast in a local, family-owned casting house just up the street from our atelier.

Paying it Forward

Thanks to your support, Sofia Zakia has been a charitable company from the start. We donate 5% of sales on each Worry Doll to Mayan Families, a nonprofit organization aimed at providing education, nutrition, shelter and medical care to those living in extreme poverty in rural Guatemala. 100% of Waves of Song Necklace sales are donated to the CMHA.

We have and will continue to donate to local and international fundraisers such as Cedars Cancer Foundation, NYACC, The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, The Loveland Foundation, WIRES Wildlife Rescue, The Canadian Mental Health Association, Planned Parenthood, Trans Lifeline, Ethical Metalsmiths, among others. These practices, especially those that interact with the national quality of life of our Canadian community are benchmark of importance to us.

Made in Montreal