A good work of art varies in perspective depending on who’s looking at it, and that is true of this latest release by London-based jeweler Jessie VE.
The Soul Weight memento locket radiates a touch of the macabre with an abundance of beauty, to be worn in the name of love for those held most dear, and in remembrance if they’re no longer with us.
“It is said that a human soul weighs 21 grams. I became obsessed with the idea that a loved one’s soul could be something tangible, that you could hold close to your heart and feel the weight of,” designer Jessie Evans says in a note on the pendant’s design. “Fill the blackened silver memento locket with the essence of someone—their birthstone, a tiny note with their handwriting, a mini lock of their hair, or even ashes if they’ve passed—nestled right into the heart of the piece.”
Hand-engraved on the pendant’s four sides are the number 21; “1 Soul” against a background of bursting lines and stars; a forget-me-not flower; and a tear falling from an eye motif, representing “a tear of happy memories frozen in time,” according to the Jessie VE website.
The piece is composed of precisely 21 grams of solid 18k yellow gold, heavy both in its physical presence and in what it represents—there is certainly an air of mourning jewelry here.
But that’s also its beauty: celebrating life with a creation meant to be treasured forever. This could be a sensational wedding gift, honoring the joining together of soul mates. (Each piece takes 8 to 10 weeks to create.)
The necklace comes with two silver bell-shape lockets to nestle inside the gilded box, and that’s where the wearer can store their treasures. One locket has rock crystal at the end, through which you can clearly see inside, and the other has a more opaque gemstone of choice—moonstone, pink or green tourmaline, pearl—to obscure the locket’s contents.
Top: Soul Weight memento locket in 18k yellow gold and silver, $16,049; Jessie VE
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