Grape Vine Necklace

Across the Roman world, grapevines were part of both the landscape and the decorative arts.

Vineyards supplied the grapes that became one of antiquity's most familiar drinks, while the twisting forms of the vine — its curling stems, spreading leaves and heavy bunches of fruit — provided Roman artists with an endlessly adaptable source of decoration.

Grapes and vines appeared across Roman interiors and objects, from painted walls to drinking vessels and other forms of decorative art. Surviving frescoes preserve glimpses of these ancient vines almost two thousand years later.

In the towns around Vesuvius, including Pompeii, archaeological evidence and surviving paintings reveal a landscape in which viticulture and the imagery of the grapevine were both familiar parts of Roman life.

Inspired by this ancient decorative tradition, the Grapes on the Vine Necklace transforms a trailing vine into jewellery — its leaves, stems and tiny clusters of grapes spreading across the surface of an irregular golden pendant.