Taj Mahal 18ct white gold necklace pendant set with diamonds and an interchangeable blue zircon centrepiece. Inspired by a ceiling at the Taj Mahal, Agra. From the Journey to India.
This can be worn as both a pendant and a brooch (please contact the showroom on 020 7730 2202 to explain the fittings to enable this).
Taj Mahal
Inside the mosque adjacent to the great Taj Mahal there is a ceiling pattern high up in the apex of the roof: A complex, geometrical, radiating pattern created from intersecting arcs.
Geometry was never just an adornment in Mughal style, it was a means of evoking a world beyond earthly experience. The universe was deemed to have a mathematical basis and so, by incorporating this, it gave the works of man a transcendent quality - a true heaven on earth.
I remember being there at Divali (when India is lit by candles and fireworks), each candle twinkling like a diamond. This was the reason why I set my Taj Mahal with a pave of diamonds, in two layers, cementing that love, each in harmony with one another.
Zircon
Almost more fiery than a diamond, Zircons have been used in jewellery for centuries. Cassandra adores the deep rich blues she finds in Cambodia that remind her of the Paraiba tourmalines she used to buy when she first set out in the jewellery world.
Craftsmanship and Sourcing
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.
One of the treasures of the Indian department at the V and A museum is a gold necklace of exquisitely carved seed pods. Cassandra's Indian marriage pendants are her own interpretation with deeply carved details. In Delhi, the Qut'b Minar's marble carvings there give rise to her own eponymous ring.
