It was while I was living in Madrid that I designed the Madrid cross. I loved to go to a small pastelería and eat chocolate palmeras and one day there was a green and white flag hanging out over the street by the pastelería with a cruciform pattern on it. When I came back home later that day I added to my sketch book and then rather forgot about it, only coming back to it some weeks later. With fresh eyes and a clear mind, the little sketch became the pendant that has been given by godparents and grandparents, worn by girl friends and sisters, and even by brides on their wedding day. Simply adorned with pearls or set with four birthstones in the centre, it is always the most lovely of gifts - to give, and to receive.

Topaz is an aluminium fluoro-hydroxyl-silicate that occurs in large crystals, mostly in Brazil. Glowing with the gift of healing, a blue topaz (the birthstone for November) is said to help your mind and body feel restored, a symbol of friendship, love, honesty, and fidelity. While a golden yellow topaz, permeated with healing warmth and life like the dazzling sun, will rejuvenate both your mind and body. Highly protective, the magic set within these stones is believed to make the wearer invisible to danger.