In Greek mythology, the Nereids were the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris, sea nymphs associated with the gentler aspects of the Mediterranean and the protection of sailors. Among them was Iaera. Ancient artists imagined the Nereids as young women moving across the sea, often carried by dolphins and other marine creatures. Iaera gave her name to a collection inspired by the colours of the Mediterranean and by ancient jewellery in which elongated gemstones alternate with slender links of gold.
Many minerals naturally form elongated crystals. In antiquity, this characteristic could be used rather than disguised. Crystals of a suitable shape could be pierced along their length and worn as beads, allowing the natural form of the stone to become part of the jewel.
Ancient Roman necklaces offered another source of inspiration. Their elongated gold links created a light, repeating structure between gemstones and beads.
For Iaera, we brought these two ideas together. Pencil-shaped blue topaz was deliberately left unpolished, preserving the softness and slight irregularity of each stone. No two are precisely the same length or shape.
The gold links are elongated in response to the gemstones. Rather than reproducing the hammered links of their ancient predecessors, ours were cast to create a more streamlined, three-dimensional form. Polished 18-carat rose gold brings warmth to the pale blue of the topaz, while the contrast between the highly polished metal and the unpolished stone remains deliberately visible.
“What interested me was the contrast. The topaz has this wonderfully soft, almost misted surface because we left it unpolished, while the rose gold is perfectly finished. The stones are slightly irregular and the links are precise. Together they reminded me of the Mediterranean, where the colour of the water is never quite the same twice.”
Renilde Vervoort
The collection was conceived to change with the wearer. The one-strand necklace can be wrapped three times around the wrist as a bracelet, while the shorter choker can be worn twice around the wrist. The one-strand necklace can also be joined to the three-strand necklace, transforming it into a four-strand composition.
