Medlar Flower

This pendant was one of the first pieces created for Natasha and members of her family, shaped around an emblem that has long been part of their history. 

Its design draws inspiration from a medieval legend dating back to 933. During the Battle of Unstrut, the knight Hartmann of Arberch, mortally wounded, is said to have taken refuge beneath a medlar tree. As he lay dying, three medlar flowers fell onto his blood-stained shield. Witnessing this moment, King Henry I granted him the red shield with three flowers as his coat of arms, a symbol that later became associated with the Arenberg family. 

In this piece, the Burmese ruby at the centre evokes the blood from the legend, while the sculpted yellow gold recalls the medlar flowers that fell onto the shield. The white gold surrounding the ruby echoes the colour of the shield itself, bringing each element of the story into the design. 

The pendant translates a family emblem into a personal and contemporary piece.