Vintage Inspired Pendant Armor

"Wearing a strong piece of jewellery, makes me feel like I have extra armour"

This vintage-inspired pendant, in all its strength and glory, is surely ringing all the right bells on that one! 

This exquisite pendant is one of our favourites and was designed as part of a full bridal necklace. The pendant itself, is actually a detachable piece that is equally dramatic and eye-catching even on it's own. 

That's the beauty of customising jewellery -  it allows you the freedom to find ways to make each piece work in different ways and either turn the volume up or down depending on the occasion,  so it works to your lifestyle.

The Client & Our Brief

It's safe to say, Indian weddings are a loud affair - whether it's the food, the clothes or the people! Of course, the same applies to jewellery too and it's expected that the bride will be the loudest of them all. However, when you've got an off-beat bride that places an equal, if not more importance on the functionality of, rather than just the statement her bridal jewellery makes, you start to wander into unchartered territory!

Refusing to allow her jewellery to be a one-time affair and spend more time sat in it's box, the bride's requirements were (fairly) simple:

• Reflect her East meets West personality and upbringing

• Be versatile enough to use in an Indian or a more Western setting

• Be usable in several ways so she could have at least 4 to 5 different 'looks' from the same jewellery set

• Fit her budget and match her Blue wedding outfit!

The Design Process

Phew... Okay, so her requirements weren't so simple, but with her having met with many jewellers for months and not getting what she wanted, we were determined to nail it for her - challenge accepted! 

Starting with a basic concept of a bridal necklace that could be worn on it own or with a detachable motif (that could also be worn as a pendant) as well as an inter-changeable centre stone, we knew we were on to something. We even decided to apply the same concept to the earrings to add on an extra look. All in all, that gave us at least 5 different ways she could wear the set - Bingo! 

Designing the central motif was most important and we set out to create a motif that reflected her 'fusion' upbringing and personality with a vintage feel to keep it timeless. Drawing inspiration from her wedding outfit (and slightly Princess Diana's ring), we started with the West using a central Sapphire stone (to match her wedding outfit) surrounded by a halo of diamonds. This was then complemented by a more traditional 'Mehendi' (or Henna) design to reflect her Indian roots, both of which married up perfectly. Studded in a mix of Baguette and Round brilliant diamonds, it brought together the motif in a way we didn't expect. 

Once the motif was finalised, the rest fell into place easily. The result? Well, see for yourself! 🙂

Here's Some Helpful Tips For You!

It could be as simple as adding a halo jacket to your solitaire earrings, but detachable or functional jewellery is always a favourite and speciality of ours at Isle of Her. 

Being able to create more looks from the same jewellery is the same as being able to style up the same LBD in different ways without ever looking like the dress you wear every Saturday night! 

Looking for more inspiration, check out the rest of our Bespoke Portfolio!