3-Strand Hematite and Jade SET

“La Belle Ferronnière” is a striking and mysterious portrait of a lady (probably Lucretia Crivelli) attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, dated to 1490-96 and now in the Louvre in Paris

The painting takes its name from the headband that encircles the wearer’s forehead, a very popular ornament in 15th century Italy, sometimes made from metal and with a small jewel suspended in the centre. However the actual term “ferronnière” for describing such headbands was only coined in the 19th century, when this type of ornament enjoyed a revival and was considered to enhance a high forehead

But it is the necklace in this painting that caught my attention and struck me as very modern, so I tried to re-imagine it in a 21st century setting by using gold plated squared Hematite tubes mixed with faceted Pink, Red and Purple Jade beads, in keeping with the overall colour palette of the painting

I believe the end result still captivates the Renaissance spirit whilst at the same time being a thoroughly modern and wearable piece of jewellery, with an interesting story to tell…

These items can be bought as a set or individually

📷 Musée du Louvre, Paris
📷 Thibault Camus