Cynthia lost her mother last June, and, as she has done for so many clients, she sought a way to memorialize her in precious metals and stones, with an heirloom jewel she could eventually pass on to her own daughters.
The artist selected white topaz gem slices with goethite mineral inclusions, in an angel wing shape, to symbolize her mother. In the top portion of the earrings, rainbow moonstones embody eternity and the heavens, akin to the northern lights. Pink sapphires accent the moonstones and also sit amidst the diamonds on the detachable Pea Pods that link the top to the bottom of the earring. The sapphires represent pinks, a flower—and a color—that Cynthia’s mother loved.
“My mother and I covered a lot of ground together. Not just terra firma, but we did that too,” says Cynthia. “She and I once flew to Hawaii, where we saw lava flow into the Pacific, building new land and foundations. We also traveled to Barcelona to visit my brother and I can still see her, well into her eighth decade, riding a motorcycle up and down the Spanish Rivera, grabbing on tightly to my brother in her red jacket.
“She taught me about love, integrity, surrender, and standing up. She taught me to mother, and I, with great gratitude, see her in my mothering of my daughters, which I trust they will also pass down, and build upon, like that lava on the Pacific.
“My second daughter Hallie has my mother’s hands. In them, I see Mom as a small child, among the pinks at the farmhouse where she was raised. When I hold my daughter, I feel as though I am going back to that farmhouse and gathering my own mother into my arms. The hands of Hallie and my mother are quick to gesture, and I know that someday, I will hold Hallie’s children’s hands, and sing to them my mother’s lullabies.
“I am disrupting the fossil record; changing history before it hardens. Against the current of time, I dive under the waves and pass the love back to my mother.”
Cynthia’s personal earring drops, in memory of her mother, feature white topaz gem slices with goethite mineral inclusions, rainbow moonstones, pink sapphires, and diamonds, set in 18 karat yellow gold. The earrings are in three pieces that come apart and can be worn in different combinations. The kite-shaped top with the moonstone can be worn alone as a stud. The Pea Pod center “bridge” can be removed, and the topaz slices attached directly to the moonstone stud.
These earrings feature Cynthia’s signature earring system of exchangeable parts, called Progressive Pairs. Made by skilled, loving hands, Cynthia Renée jewels feature elements of wearers’ lives that are passed on to future generations, like a message in a bottle.
