INSPIRED BY SEAHORSES.

Few creatures could have been designed more perfectly for a miniature jewel than the seahorse. Its upright posture, almost architectural profile and beautifully coiled tail form a silhouette that is unmistakable even at the scale of a tiny charm. A finely polished gold pendant can suggest the creature with just a few elegant curves, while an intricately worked ring gives its ridged body and distinctive head the presence of a small sculpture.

There is wonderful variety in the way those details can be interpreted. A flash of turquoise brings the clear blues of shallow water to seahorse earrings; blue topaz lends a pendant a softer, luminous sparkle. Seahorses are fish, though they swim upright and use their curled tails to hold on to seagrass and other underwater supports. In many species the male carries developing young in a brood pouch, an unusual detail that invites modern associations with care and devotion.