Jewel of the Month: Black Diamond Skull

If you follow my Instagram accounts — business and/or personal — you’ve already gotten a sneak peek at June’s Jewel of the Month. For the rest of you, behold my “Carpe Diem” medallion set with a skull-shaped black diamond!

Voilà!

I debuted this piece at the Couture jewelry show in Las Vegas last week, where Grace Lavarro of Jewels by Grace took its photo.

Click to see on Grace’s Instagram. More than 1,000 likes!

I wanted this pendant to feel like a recently unearthed artifact, so the 18K gold is visibly textured. The inscription — “Carpe Diem,” which is Latin for “seize the day” — has an antique look and, as you can see, it’s also in Leonardo da Vinci-style mirror writing, so that when you’re wearing this necklace, you can see the message when you look at your reflection.

Photo by Amy Roseveare of Jewelry Fashion Tips.

This pendant has been a long time in the making. I met the gem cutter in 2016 at the JCK Luxury jewelry show, where he was selling other nontraditionally cut diamonds. I took his card and, after a couple of months of consideration, asked if he could do a skull. One year later, this 3-carat skull was completed.

The first photo I saw of the finished diamond.

The four tapered baguettes around the skull were cut in 2015 by another gem dealer. I had planned to set the baguettes in a ring I made that year, but I changed my mind about the ring design and kept the stones for a future project. I decided to use them in this piece this January, which is when I shared a rough sketch on Instagram.

Click for original post.

I wasn’t sure I was going to engrave the pendant until I saw how much space I had to work with on a wax model.

The wax model that I went with, next to one that I decided was too small.

After I did two wax models, I knew what I wanted to say.

My original lettering sketch.

Interestingly enough, the timing for the completed necklace couldn’t have been more perfect. As I was putting the finishing touches on my pendant, National Jeweler published a story about medallions. Ashley Davis wrote:

“Medallions have been worn since antiquity but have gained a new resonance over the past few years among fine jewelry designers, who are updating classic symbols and making them their own.

The reasons for making and wearing such talisman haven’t changed. Designers are donning their own medallions to invoke protection, guidance, luck, or as reminders of where they’re going or what they’ve overcome.”

There are some details on the finished piece that can’t be seen in the photos here — two tiny white diamonds are set deep into the skull’s eyes, and there’s an even tinier ruby in the center of its mouth. I’ll be sending the necklace to photographer Ed Parrinello of SquareMoose Photography for official pictures on Monday, so he can take on the challenge of making those stones visible. When Ed’s photos are ready, I’ll put the piece on my website. Until then, if you have any questions about it, you can email me at info at wendybrandes dot com. And stay tuned for matching earrings later this year!