A celestial blue topaz and diamond pendant necklace for a 21st birthday
Inspired by the name “Celeste”
A name like Celeste deserves to be treated with reverence and respect. In English, it derives from the Latin word “Heavenly”. Take that as you will for it can move from religious interpretations to visions that are out-of-this-world.
For me, it is a celestial vision of the moon and the stars that is most beautiful. In addition “Celeste” in Spanish is also a colour: light sky blue, that beautiful clear blue that you can see on a sunny day that has just a few white clouds floating about.
The world has always been attracted towards celestial jewellery with motifs and symbols such as moons and stars as they spark a sense of joy, magic, love, luck and above all: interconnection. Their talismanic appeal plus their undeniable beauty has always made them popular, and quite rightly so.
According to The Atlantic, in 1913, the cover of the first issue of Vanity Fair featured an illustration of a woman gazing at her reflection while sitting on a perfect crescent moon. The fashion world has always been fascinated by this theme; from Valentino to Pierre Cardin, the sky has always been a perfect canvas for the sun, stars and planets and a source of inspiration for designers.
21st birthday gift surprise for a young woman
So when my client contacted me to make a surprise bespoke jewellery gift for her daughter’s 21st birthday, my first reaction was to take inspiration from her beautiful name. Celeste, was named after her paternal grandmother, a wonderful woman who was very much loved by all.
But we also wanted to take into account the fact that their family is scattered across several continents and like all of us, they have a strong need to feel connected. A celestial pendant necklace is the perfect reminder of interconnection wherever one might be, near or far.
Designing the celestial blue topaz and diamond pendant
As the central design, I decided on a waning crescent moon with two star diamonds. A star to represent each one of her brothers, whom she has a strong bond with. Additionally, stars to me, feel like they have this underlying meaning that implies ‘anything is possible’ — a ‘reach for the stars’ mentality, a reminder to always look forwards and to aim as high as possible.
Not wanting to forget her Latin American heritage, a light blue needed to be introduced as a design element. As a nod to her name in Spanish, I chose Swiss sky blue topaz to accent the ethereal shimmer of the moon.
Need inspiration view some of our other bespoke jewellery projects
A secret message engraved in the celestial pedant necklace
Is there anything more exciting than a secret message? A simple but sincere message worn close to your skin, that can only be seen and felt by the wearer is what an inscription can offer. The back of the pendant is hand engraved with a message from her mum, a little shared secret between mother and daughter.
Hand engraving is an art form in itself; some say it can take a lifetime to master. A master engraver will develop his own style and has tools that over the years adapt to his hands and he will never share them. Personally, I prefer to always use a skilled craftsman over a machine engraving; it just adds a much more personalised touch and gives the jewellery a handcrafted feeling that machine engraving can never achieve.
If you are interested in having a bespoke piece of jewellery made for yourself or a loved one, please do not hesitate in contacting us.
We would love to help you with all your bespoke jewellery needs. Our small jewellery business is located in Wimbledon, South West London.
If you prefer to work remotely we can do that too!
Militza Ortiz
Jewellery designer and maker, based in the Wimbledon, London, UK. Envisioning and hand crafting future heirlooms for 20 years.