Venus, Goddess of Love
18ct yellow gold (33.28g), handmade to order in Geneva (edition of 25)
Symbols: Apple, Apple Blossom, Scallop Shell, Knots, Birch, Falcon, Flaming Heart, Camelia, Cherries
An ancient Italian goddess, Venus was associated with cultivated fields and gardens. It was only later, after a temple to her was established in Rome on the same date as the celebrations of Jupiter (Zeus in the Greek tradition), that she later became identified with the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite.
Aphrodite is connected to Libra, Venus to Taurus, combining their characteristics of gardens, fertility and passionate love. Venus is the planetary ruler of Taurus, which in turn is connected to the Moon. Whilst Aphrodite is not similarly associated, her links with water in her birth as well as the association of the Moon with emotions in western astrological thought connect her with fertility and love.
Apple blossom is symbolic for Taureans, along with the colour green (in stone lore, emeralds and malachite), and as a rite of spring, also connected to fertility and rebirth. The scallop shell, part of the myth of the birth of Venus, also has symbolic connections to rebirth, as well as to courage and hope.
The Goddess collection is inspired by the character and mythology of powerful Roman and Grecian legends, and the overlap into other forms of cultural and philosophical representation. Alice was inspired by the way that symbols in fine art would have been instantly recognisable for the narratives they represented, in a way that only experts schooled in art history would likely now recognise. Symbolism is such a powerful force in contemporary jewellery, and as an artist with strong female clients and collaborators, Alice wanted to explore characteristics that would be meaningful and enduring.
After a decade of working in meenakari enamel, an engraved process, Alice collaborated on this collection with Colombian goldsmith Juan Sebastian Galan Bello to create stories in repousse 18 carat yellow gold - from working inwards to working outwards. Juan realised in gold a series of illustrations created with Charlotte Gastaut, a Parisian illustrator working with brands such as Diptique and Hermes, and on the creation of her own fairytale narratives rendered in print and on silk.