Taj Mahal 18ct white gold necklace pendant set with diamonds and an interchangeable pink tourmaline 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).
Inside the mosque adjacent to the great Taj Mahal there is a ceiling pattern high up in the apex of the roof, which caught my eye. A complex geometrical radiating pattern created from intersecting arcs. In the roof of the mosque, this pattern is transformed into ribbon like lattices. Opulent and grandiose to the eye - as befits this monument to great love - the Taj Mahal and its mosques were built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
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 arts and architecture by incorporating this gave the works of man a transcendent quality - a true heaven on earth.
Tourmaline comes from the Sinhalese term 'turamali' meaning 'stone of mixed colours'. Tourmaline gemstones can be found in almost every colour including pink, red, green, blue, colourless and multi-coloured, making it one of Cassandra's favourite gemstones. Perhaps because of its myriad of colours it is the birthstone for October when the autumnal leaves fall in a cacophony of colour.
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.