Peacock Octavia 18ct white gold earring pendants set with central aquamarine, sapphires and diamonds on interchangeable 18ct white gold diamond Astrea hoops. Inspired by the peacocks seen everywhere in India - decorating palaces in niches, in carriages and in wall paintings. From the Journey to India.
There are peacocks everywhere in India: decorating palaces in niches, as carriages and in wall paintings. So no wonder I was inspired to create a peacock brooch and earrings.
I always think the magical part of a feather is the ruffle, that subtle movement of the silken 'cloak' that covers birds of any feather. I was inspired too by a delicate peacock brooch given by Empress Eugenie to Princess Victoria Mary around 1893 where the interlocking barbs seemed to have a delicate ripple. In the workshop we recreated this effect by 'stringing' the diamond set barbs along the vane down the centre, allowing a little movement side to side. From the Journey to India.
Sapphire occurs in Sri Lanka, Australia and Myanmar and varies in its often velvet like colour from colourless to blue, pink, yellow, green and purple hues. Cassandra often finds unusual colours and cuts on her travels and she particularly loves the rarer green sapphires. Sapphire, the stone is associated with wisdom and is the birthstone for September.
All Cassandra Goad jewellery is designed and made in the
workshops in London.
As a gemmologist, the chemical composition and properties of
gemstones have always fascinated Cassandra. Ever in search of the
unusual and rare, she travels the world to source beautiful
gemstones, either in the rough or cut form. The craftsman works as
an artist recreating the design in metal, his interpretation is
vital to the overall feel of the jewel. The jewel is then mounted,
assayed , polished and set. Many of Cassandra's jewels can be hand
engraved with a personal message to make a unique bespoke gift.
This year marks 35 years of Cassandra Goad and to celebrate Cassandra has delved deep into her jewellery archives to re-discover her most celebrated designs, to re-create each one into either its original form or re-imagined into unseen versions.