First in Palmero, then in Taomina, I remember seeing beautifully decorated baskets from Sicilian Carretti, overflowing with fresh fruit: oranges, lemons, and grapefruits. The market sellers had sliced open some of the fruit they call 'agrumi' on their stalls in Corso Umberto. And as I walked down the street, the idea of circular slices of fruit in a basket took shape as a possible design. I made a preliminary sketch sitting on a stone step, beneath a balcony overflowing with red geraniums. The circles were of differing sizes to reflect the different fruit, and inside a golden circular outline basket: I called it Agrumi. Later, I added stones set into the circles: perhaps a ruby for a July birthday, or a peridot for August.

Taken from the Greek word "amethystos", meaning sober; amethyst quartz has illustrious calming properties, protecting wearers with a sense of tranquillity and soberness. Famed for its regal deep purple colour, February's birthstone is said to enhance your focus and open your mind to critical thinking and clarity, and to also protect from inebriation. It is often worn by bishops set in a ring. Most are sourced from alluvial deposits in Brazil, Madagascar, Zambia and Uruguay, and Cassandra likes to juxtapose their splendour with rubies and aquamarine, or even green African garnets.