Emotion made Precious
Welcome to the sixth chapter of our series Obvious and Unexpected Inspiration in Jewelry Design, our in depth we exploration of the poetic undercurrents behind what glitters.
Today’s theme? Emotion, not in the grand, operatic sense, but the quieter kind: the heartbeats, the tears, the ties. In the hands of great jewelers, feelings become form, and sentiment gets cast in gold
EMOTIONS ENCODED
Long before emojis, feelings found their way into gold and thread. Lovers exchanged secret messages made of gems, knots, or even plaited locks of hair (yes, real hair). While the practice of encoding emotion into jewelry dates back to antiquity, it was during the Georgian (1714–1830) and Victorian (1837–1901) eras that sentimental design truly flourished in Europe.
One of the most romantic tokens? The knot ring: two bands (of gold or hair !) entwined like hearts, engraved with whispers like "Forget me not" or "United in love".
Hair jewelry may sound morbid to modern ears, but back then, it was seen as the ultimate act of closeness in the 18th and 19th centuries. A locket with a beloved’s braid or a ring lined with their hair was literally keeping someone close. Queen Victoria herself wore a mourning ring containing Prince Albert’s hair after his death in 1861.
Acrostic jewelry allowed jewelers to add more nuance: pieces that spelled out secret messages using the first letter of each gemstone.
REGARD = Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby, Diamond
DEAREST = Diamond, Emerald, Amethyst, Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Topaz
Maison Chaumet was among the renowned maisons to incorporate these codes in early 19th-century pieces and the “Acrostiches” collection is still available to this day
TESTING TEST
LOVE : HEARTS & WORDS
The heart shape may be iconic, but its origins remain deliciously vague. More symbolic than anatomical, it began to bloom in European jewelry around the 15th century, alongside the rise of courtly love.
Today, few motifs speak more clearly of emotion and yet, designers continue to reinvent it with flair.
Some chose to embrace the timeless symbole ...
Designed for Tiffany & co in the 70’s. , more silhouette than symbol it suggests openness to love , others and life itself
Designed for Tiffany & co in the 80’s , offers a more graphic and sensual approach. A stroke of gold that becomes an emblem.
Or to envision the most iconic heartless heart ...
The Cartier Love bracelet : no hearts here, just a bold gold band, “locked” with a a miniature screwdriver, worn by one lover for the other.
Designed by Aldo Cipullo in the 1970s, it was a radical concept for its time: a jewel but more importantly, a ritual that symbolized exclusivity, commitment and, depending on how you see it, possession. One partner physically “locking” the other into love. A romantic gesture designed to never come off that seems rooted in a traditional view of relationships.
Fast forward five decades, and the story has powerfully shifted. Today, over 60% of Love bracelets are bought for oneself. The screw still clicks, but now it secures something else: self-worth, independence, personal success.
From commitment to empowerment, from romantic exclusivity to self-celebration, the Love bracelet has redefined its meaning; not by abandoning its origins, but by letting wearers rewrite them. And that evolution? We love it.
TIES : KNOTS & BOWS
If a heart expresses love, a knot represents connection, all connections, either romantic, familial, or platonic. Knots endure , they hold.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, lovers exchanged intricately tied jewels(bows, loops, and twists) as secret signals of attachment. Today, that tradition lives on, though the forms have evolved with the times.
Named for Laurence Graff’s granddaughter. A scrulptural yet wearable tribute to the bonds that span generations.
Designed by René Morin and launched in 1977 , the Lien collection embodies two lives forever joined. “Lien” means bond or link in French
LUCK: NATURE'S TOKEN
Since antiquity, we’ve looked for symbols to tip fate in our favor. In ancient Egypt, scarabs were worn to ward off evil; in Greece, engraved gemstones promised divine protection. Across time and culture, jewelry has carried belief, becoming a talisman of hope, fortune, and charm.
Modern times are no exception. Today's joyful tokens often pay tribute to nature, transforming petals, stars and leaves into wearable luck.
The four-leaf clover, a universal sign of luck has seen countless re-interpretations.
Inspired by Granada’s Alhambra Palace, the 1968 design became an iconic symbol of luck and style. Worn by Grace Kelly, Romy Schneider, and generations since.
In 1974, Elsa Peretti sculpted a minimalist clover for Tiffany: soft, abstract, and quietly iconic. This piece is in line with her belief that jewelry should carry meaning.
Since 2015, Louis Vuitton’s Color Blossom has reimagined the Maison's Monogram Flower as a symbol of luck. Equal parts charm and signature, it turns superstition into polished identity
A simple yet timeless design that plays on this motif too, echoing different Venetian windows shapes of Palazzo Ducale; as well as quatrefoil clover petals and wild flowers.
Jewelry has never been just about the sparkle and these are only a few of the countless emotions a piece can hold. A drop of gold could be a tear, a laugh, or a scandal. Pearls might whisper triumph or carry an apology. The real gem in any jewel is rarely just the stone; from love to anger, from sadness to boredom, no piece is ever mute.
Without emotion, a jewel is just a pretty trinket.
