Estatira Necklace

Flowers and plants provided ancient Greek goldsmiths with an extraordinary vocabulary of forms.

Rosettes, petals, leaves, seeds and fruits were transformed into intricate ornaments in gold, sometimes embellished with coloured stones or glass. Rather than simply reproducing nature, craftsmen reduced these forms into carefully balanced patterns of radiating petals, tiny beads and delicate goldwork.

Surviving Greek jewellery reveals just how elaborate these designs could become. One remarkable gold pendant now in The Metropolitan Museum of Art combines a circular rosette with a suspended acorn — bringing together two forms drawn directly from the natural world.

The rosette was particularly suited to jewellery. Its petals radiated naturally around a central point, allowing goldsmiths to create richly detailed circular ornaments on a remarkably small scale.

The Estatira Necklace draws upon this ancient tradition. A pink tourmaline forms the centre of an intricate golden rosette, surrounded by layers of petals, twisted detailing and tiny beadwork — reimagining the floral language of ancient Greek jewellery for today.

The broader historical connection is sound: Greek jewellery in The Met's collection includes numerous gold pieces using rosettes, floral forms, garnets and other coloured materials.