Jewelry

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: The Best Symbolic Jewelry - Forbes

If you are getting into the holiday spirit and are thinking of adding a little glitter to your tree with tinsel and a shimmering star, you might want to get into the same mindset for jewelry.  A little shine goes a long way in making a loved one happy. But we are not talking about blinged out diamond jewelry, we are talking about pieces that evoke the lore and legend that has served as talisman and meaningful jewelry throughout history. These are pieces that evoke, sentiment, spirituality and symbolism and represent the women you are gifting. Whether the jewels speak to their beliefs, dreams, hopes, momentous occasions that came before or those that she still wants to happen, you won't go wrong with these pieces. While many of the talisman include charms and pendants, she can also wear her sentiments on her ears wrists and fingers. And, these days we all need love, luck and protection in our lives and always a little bit of sparkle.

Where You Lead

Inspired by the 19th-century compasses and the evening stars that help guide sailors to navigate and find their way on the high seas, this Christine Huber pendant evokes the feeling of having a clear direction and finding safe harbor, wherever that might be for the person who wears it.  It is the perfect gift for any woman who either has charted a smooth course for herself or wants to feel like she has found a new way through rocky waters. It is designed in 14K yellow gold with black diamonds.

Pairing Up

This heart by Karch x Wolfe (Karen Karch and Demi Wolfe) is influenced by different cultures and continents. In 10K gold the mini ‘Love Struck’ heart charm is inspired by the folklore of Milagros which hopes for an all-conquering love. It is also influenced by the crowned heart jewelry from  18^th and 19^th century England which connoted love triumphant. When paired with the ‘Mini Victory Wing’ which represents a wish to be free to follow our dreams—this double charm necklace with its rugged, slightly rocker-chic finish speaks to the unconventional romantic.

Locked In Love

Jewelry designer Erica Molinari is a creative master of re-imagining details, motifs and shapes from different time periods and rendering them relevant for the modern woman and enduring for future generations. A favorite of the Victorian era, padlocks symbolized keeping your love safe as well as a couple locked together in love. Often times they were in the shape of a heart and came with a key—offering the sentiment of ‘the key to my heart'. Molinari’s version are edgier and hip yet still are full of meaning. Here her medium padlock in a shield shape for ‘protection’, which features a cross on one side and a key with an Italian phrase ‘Amare La Vita' which translates into ‘love the life’—a perfect talisman for happiness in oxidized sterling silver, 18K gold and diamond accents.

Protect And Guide

Foundrae is the go-to collection for spiritual and meaningful medallions, rings and bracelets. Several ‘tenants’ help to allow self-awareness, self-discovery and to show the world a bit about who the wearer is. Designed by Beth Bugdaycay in 18K gold, this multi-charm necklace features one of Foundrae’s signature chains and links to attach multiple medallions. The snake in this collection harks back to the meaning of rebirth and rejuvenation. It signifies wholeness and the ability to grow and achieve balance. The dream pedant with black enameling features an arrow which points forward and sits over a triangle for introspection. Underneath is a star which speaks to energy and guidance.  This pendant representing the actualization of what we wish for. Together these medallions signify growth and achieving goals. To personalize the charm necklace, even more, you can add one of Foundrae’s enamel initial pendants. Choose from many different combinations that also include luck, passion, resilience and protection.

Fly Away

Dru Jewelry’s ‘Conservatory Rings’ are based on locket and poison rings that we have seen throughout different moments in jewelry’s history, dating back to medieval times and made popular again from the Victorian era through the vintage ‘70s. With the look of chunky signet rings, the Conservatory rings slide open to reveal a secret compartment. What’s so evocative about these rings is their original imagery that tells a story from the shank and top of the ring all the way through to the plaque or what designer Thea Miller calls the ‘chamber’ when the compartment is opened.  “Lockets were used to store tokens of love, loss and keep sacred those parts of us we want to keep close but might not want to reveal,” Miller explains. “In the ‘Nightingale’ version, the chamber opens to reveal the cage from which the nightingale escaped. There are five white diamonds scattered throughout the design. The Nightingale was inspired by the symbolism of plumage and the magic and mystery of flight.”

Keep An Eye Out

Many designers have interpreted the Evil Eye, which is said to ward off bad luck and harm, but none with as many creative iterations as Ileana Makri.  Part of her heritage, Makri designs a diverse selection of pendants, multi-station necklaces, bracelets and rings featuring unique interpretations in a mix of gemstones. This 'Open Eye Pendant'  is surrounded by a circle which is continuous and cannot be broken and means continuity.  The eye in 18K rose gold seems almost like a painting but in colored gemstones of champagne diamonds, blue sapphires and rhodalite garnets. The floral motif that is part of the eye offers a feminine delicate touch to a motif that has been around for centuries.

Message Me

Hidden messages of passion, luck and living life to the fullest are all part of Monica Rich Kosann ’s take off on poesy (poetry) rings that date back to the 14^th century. The period styles were replete with motifs representing love, faith and loyalty engraved on the outside and verse or sayings to be worn close to the skin. Later 18^th and 19th-century versions revealed simple bands that spoke volumes about love and friendship in mottoes inscribed on the inside. Monica Rich Kosann’s necklace rings and delicate ID bracelets are engraved with a variety of contemporary sayings including Carpe Diem, (Seize the Day) which is a theme that runs through the collection. Here it is engraved on the underside of a diamond pave poesy bracelet.

Hear Me Roar

The name of the collection Retrouvaí bespeaks the sensibility of the collection. It is derived from the French proverb ‘Retrovailles,’ "defined as the joy of reconnecting with something from one’s past". Retrouvai riffs on signet rings, which were once used as seals and later to depict mythological subjects and symbols of power and affiliation, as well as occupations from merchants to poets. Retrouvai's signets  are raised rather than recessed, imbuing them with a current vibe.“Signus” means sign in Latin, and the original rings, which date back  4000 years, were, in fact, used as a form of signature—the image of the ring in relief, when impressed on wax, sealed deals, identified ownership and authenticated documents. Retrouvai's signets are designed in 14k gold and feature motifs in of symbolic animals such as owls, pigs, unicorns and lions, featured here. The lion is engraved with the message fearless and extraordinary, which today’s independent women would be thrilled to receive as a gift to show their confidence and powerful femininity. A true statement piece, they can be worn on various fingers to leave a lasting impression and mark of distinction.

Entwined In Love

One of the most symbolic motifs throughout history, snakes, have had a variety of meanings in different cultures. But it was in the Victorian era when Queen Victorian married her prince after receiving a serpent and emerald engagement ring that snakes were popularized in every classification of jewelry.  They continued throughout time to be a source of inspiration and a beloved motif among women (when they are rendered in precious stones and metals).  When snakes are entwined like these Sorellina New York earrings in oxidized silver, gold, and diamonds, they mean enduring, continuous love.

(note these earrings by Sorellina New York are by special order. Please contact: orders@sorellinanewyork.com)

Luck Be A Lady

There are a few motifs that you can immediately identify the significance.  Such is the case of the horseshoe. It represents luck and is a beloved and widely used symbol since it hit the height of popularity in the 19th century Although it's always held its place in jewelry's history.   In the 1990's, a horseshoe pendant became the jewel to own after Sarah Jessica Parker's  Carrie Bradshaw quickly became a fashion icon and wore one, two and three different size diamond versions on HBO's Sex And The City.  Since then there have been myriad versions produced in all different prices ranges. The Sylva & Cie style is special in that it has chunky sapphire and diamonds. When the horseshoe is facing up it, like this one, it brings luck to the wearer. When worn face down it sends luck out into the universe.

(This Sylva & Cie Horseshoe Pendant is available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Beverly Hills)