A space odyssey

Solitaires. Cocktail rings. The classic choker. Yes, these have been the staples in jewellery boxes all across the world. But what about the pieces that transcend the boundaries of familiarity and the ordinary? Jewellery is not just an adornment but an extension of one's personality. A jewelled piece that tells a story is much more meaningful than a mere accessory.

Turning the universe into a canvas
As far as stories go, very few delve into a space that's rarely been touched before. Inspirations ranging from flowers and bees to trees and waves possibly do not fathom what lies beyond this blue planet…the vast universe! And yet, the outer space holds a certain magnetic charm that lures the brave and the creative.

The usual suspects
Inspirations are galore when it comes to the vast outer space that surrounds us, but the usual suspects—sun, moon and the stars—have remained popular with jewellery buyers. Take that a notch above and you see motifs of rockets, spaceships and other planets. "The planet Mars was the chief inspiration behind this gorgeous pair of earrings," explains Kiran Datwani of Gehna Jewellers, "We have tried to recreate the reddish appearance due to the presence of iron oxide prevalent on its surface. The design concept tries to highlight the thin atmosphere of the planet. Its surface features are reminiscent of the impact craters of the moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar ice caps of Earth."

Stepping into the unknown
While motifs connect one to the idea that germinated in the designer's head, it's not the end of it all. Connoisseurs like to go a step further and explore underlying motives, stories and conversations. A concept holds depth and meaning as compared to a motif. "We have tried to recreate the moon's surface and its craters that appear to be formed by impact in a gorgeous bracelet," says Datwani, "The mother of pearl base represents the surface while the pearls represents the matter splashed out of the ground when the craters were formed. The diamonds on the pearls represent the raised rim consisting of matter that ejected but landed very close by."

The bold and the beautiful
While exploring the colour palette of silver and gold metallic, along with deep blue, white and grey, jewellery inspired by sci-fi elements calls for use of tough materials and sharp angles. A prime example being the edgy, armor-like necklace designed by British fashion designer, Gareth Pugh for Forevermark. The idea behind strong, sharp angles is that men and women of the futuristic world will adopt such an adornment. Coming back to Pugh's masterpiece, it is set in stainless steel and titanium, this piece was brought to life with cutting-edge digital mapping and 3D technology. The neckpiece has about 5,600 diamonds—a whopping benchmark—adding up to 91.98 carats.