Jewelry Art: Moon Castle

This is actually an illustration of a piece I proposed to make. I made a close approximation of it many years ago, and titled it Fortress of the Heart. It was sold to a wonderful lady named Lilly Lawrence, world renowned beauty and Malibu philanthropist. Lilly was dubbed "The People's Princess" by New York Newsday and the "Rose of Shiraz" by the New York Times.

She lived in a castle - the only one in Malibu - called Castle Kashan. Unfortunately, in the fires that swept through Malibu a couple of years ago, she lost everything, including her treasured castle necklace. Luckily, she wasn't hurt, but many wonderful artworks and treasured memories were lost in the flames.

For some reason, I've been unable to locate photos of that original piece, but reconstructed it to the best of my recollection in this proposal. One day soon, I hope to make it for her. In the original, I painted a miniature painting of the courtyard scene tucked away behind the drawbridge ... but in the remake, I think I'll feature a miniature portrait of Lilly in her gown. This was originally made as a variation on the first piece in this small series, titled "Ivory Tower" shown elsewhere in this blog.

DESIGN, PHOTO AND TEXT © DAVID LLOYD STEWART - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Jewelry Art: "Ivory Tower" pendant

"Ivory Tower"

click image to enlarge

This piece from my archives, completed many years ago, was almost 5 inches tall. I don't know what originally gave me the idea that hanging a building around your neck would be good jewelry design, but this was the second successful effort in that vein. The first one, titled "the Castle", was one of the very first large-scale ambitious pieces I ever made. This variation is more refined than the first, because I developed wax-carving skills by the time I designed the Ivory Tower - the Castle was handwrought, using different techniques.

This piece is done in sterling silver with 14K gold accents. The towers are made of old ivory, inlaid with fossil walrus ivory bricks. The large lower stones are Fire Agates - these are a form of chalcedony with an interior color-play similar to opal ... but fire agates are found only in Mexico and Arizona! They are tricky stones to cut, to reveal the fire within. The "moat" is inlaid with Afghani Lapis Lazuli, and the leaves on the side are made of malachite and faustite laminated together.

The tiny little door is hinged on the bottom like a drawbridge, and when it is open, it reveals a miniature painting on a tiny linen canvas stretched over wood. The door itself is made from Brazilian Cocobolo, a variety of rosewood, and is framed in gold, with a tiny clasp to keep it closed and a little chain to support it when open. The painting is of a little knight in armor, with a heart on his shield - the Guardian of the wearer's heart!

A third piece on this theme was also designed, with predominantly turquoise inlaid towers, called Fortress of the Heart, that was sold to Lilly Lawrence, the People's Princess. It featured the same tower layout, with even more complex inlay in the bottom stones, and another painting of the courtyard scene behind the door.

A piece of this complexity would be $25,000 - 30,000 today .... much more if it were solid gold. Call me at the studio (505) 296-1400) if you would like me to make a fortress for your heart!

DESIGN, PHOTO AND TEXT © DAVID LLOYD STEWART - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED