Zodiac Jewelry

NEW YORK, NY -- Do you know your astrology sign? Do you connect with your sign as a reflection of your personality? Zodiac jewelry is once again on the rise and can be seen all over from popular fashion magazines and Instagram accounts to your great aunt’s vintage jewelry box. From ancient times to to the current day, artists and well known jewelry houses such Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, David Webb and Tiffany & Co. among others have been celebrating our love for the celestial zodiac with pendants, brooches, rings and jeweled creations.

Your zodiac sign exists because ancient astronomers located constellations across our night skies that formed patterns. These patterns were an easy way to track the stars and when studied, shapes of animals and symbols started to appear. Often traits we identify in ourselves come from our astrological symbols and wearing these jewels can provide a sense of talismanic protection or a good conversation starter with a new friend.

Popular eras of Western astrology can be traced throughout history as a reaction to the decline of organized religion, political panic, economic uncertainty, or currently a world health pandemic. More than ever we are looking to the skies for wisdom, answers, and inspiration for our future selves.

We saw a large interest in Astrology in the 1930’s as the pressure of the Great Depression, the aftermath of the stock market crash and the birth of Princess Margaret in England brought astrology into the modern lens. Perhaps humanity naturally yearns for something to believe in, distract ourselves with or give us a sense of joy and magic during hard times. R.H Naylor of the Sunday Express in 1930 published the newly born Princess Margaret’s birth chart in the British paper. It inflamed interest in astrology, birth charts and became the precursor for newspaper and publications to have “horoscope” sections that have stayed popular through today.

Astrology jewelry, fashion and music came into full force popularity in the 1960s & 1970s during the transition into “The Age of Aquarius”. It is believed that every 25,000 years a planetary shift happens, this time shifting from the Age of Pieces into the Age of Aquarius. The unique counterculture time promoted sciences, alternative medicines, veganism, yoga and mystic mind frames that later became known as the New Age Movement. People looked to the stars for love and partnership and the catch phrase “what’s your sign?” was the start to many relationships. Jewelry houses responded to the booming interest in spirituality and love by creating gold pendants, cameo, enamel and gem-set treasures depicting the signs of the zodiac. Wearing your astrological sign via jewelry both for men and women was a way of attracting love.

Today researching your birth chart and zodiac traits are easier than ever with the internet. There are phone apps to get your daily horoscope and compatibility charts to see if you and your loved ones are astrologically suited for one another. Often parents will research their children’s charts as a way to better understand how to communicate with them in tough and good times or help navigate their personalities as a whole.

Whether you are wearing your own zodiac sign brooch or a necklace with multiple zodiac charms for everyone in your family, there is a sense of magic and empowerment that is brought to the wearer which will carry on through the ages as we continue to seek inspiration from the stars.

Fine Jewelry
The Fine Jewelry auction on May 6, 2021 offers two examples of zodiac jewelry by David Webb and Jacques Cartier.