Zodiac signs are as essential to jewelry as the heart shape—something about these ancient symbols keep designers such as London-based Cece Fein Hughes coming back to them as both inspiration and a catalyst for fresh ideas.
That is true with Fein Hughes and her new zodiac collection. She pondered and painted until she felt her Cece Jewellery could do something special with these beloved sign elements, launching her own interpretations in a 12-piece series of signet rings and pendants.
The resulting Star Sign collection is a blend of zodiac and mythology. Each creature seems to have a story that is animated through hand-painted enamel and hand-engraved astrological constellations, highlighted with diamonds and pearls. Designs start $2,381.
“Coming from a very spiritual background, I really resonate with the deep emotional guidance star signs provide and it felt like something I had to explore,” Hughes says in an email interview with JCK.
“Each sign has its own story, mythological animal, and astrological constellation that there was so much symbolism to unpack, and enamel gave me the creative freedom to do so,” Hughes says. “I wanted to add my own spin on the designs by bringing in my love for traditional tattoos and fairy tales.”
A keen example of this is the zodiac sign for Virgo. Rather than using the traditional figure of a woman as the image for Virgo, Hughes says she decided to paint white enamel angel wings either side of some engraved praying hands with a background of miniature seed pearls and diamonds to symbolize a goddess-like quality.
Her animal symbols are where the collection really shines. The bright red crab for Cancer and the scorpion for Scorpio zodiac signs look like they might pinch your finger just out of spite. Meanwhile, the Leo-inspired lion is regal, shown with his majestic profile like the ruler of the kingdom.
This kind of fantastical yet whimsical artwork is a signature of Cece Jewellery, and it is a reflection of its designer. It’s a rare jeweler who blends a love of fairy tales and vintage tattoos with her modern-day jewelry, but Hughes isn’t your traditional jeweler. The former art historian brings her knowledge of fine art and vintage jewelry into her Cece brand, which she started in 2018 as she began her goldsmithing work.
“My passion has always been painting, when I was young my mum would set me up at the kitchen table surrounded by watercolors and acrylics, and I would spend hours daydreaming. Without meaning to, I have somehow reintroduced painting back into my life in the form of enamel,” Hughes says.
“I stumbled across a beautiful ring in the V&A that dates to 1860, a gold band with delicate pink roses and daisies enameled all the way around. I became fascinated with this idea of using enamel as miniature paintings that my imagination ran away with me,” she says. “There was so much storytelling that could be told through this medium that I decided to experiment with my first ever design, the Snake & Moon.”
Each of her rings and pendants travel a similar path: They start with a design in her London workshop, where Hughes works by hand with 18k recycled gold. The pieces then move to a London enameler who engraves, paints, and fires each piece. There, the rings and pendants are set with diamonds or other gems depending on the design.
“When I’m not designing at home, I spend my time at my jewelry bench surrounded by all my tools in an organized chaos,” Hughes says. “Here, I bend up the signet rings using my hammer and mandrel to form a perfect circle, I then solder the metal together and clean the piece up to a frosted matte finish, ready to send on to my enameler.”
Her next work is going to stretch her creatively as well as within the jewelry space, she says: moving into hoop earrings, another industry classic. Each miniature scene is meant to tell a story, Hughes says, something she hopes makes her work different and establishes it as a potential heirloom for the wearer to someday share—especially her bespoke work.
“The paintings get very personal, and it’s such a joy to bring to life. Like tattoos, but a little less permanent and a little more luxury,” she says.
Top: A warning to the wearer of this Cancer zodiac sign signet ring ($3,493): Designer Cece Fein Hughes made this seaworthy creature so realistic it just might try to pinch your fingers (photos courtesy of Cece Jewellery).
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