Santavanitas Lover's Eye 18kt Gold-plated Earring/Brooch

Santavanitas, from Spanish designer Pilar Cano Romero, is an intensely story-driven labor of love, with each piece uniquely representing and commentating on a keen observation of our lives and humanity.

In 1784, the Prince of Wales fell madly in love with Maria Fitzherbert, but the royal court did not approve of their union. When the future English king George IV asked for her hand in marriage, Maria rejected him. She only accepted after his second proposal where, instead of a ring, the Prince gifted her with a brooch on which he had commissioned a miniature painting of his eye. Shortly after their marriage, Maria reciprocated the present with another piece, the portrait of her own eye.

This proof of love that the Prince used to hide underneath his lapel inspired the English nobility of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Couples would exchange discreet watercolors painted on ivory that showed only an eye in order to hide the identity and preserve the decorum of the lover. The majority were small brooches.
The piece LOVER’S EYE is designed for an ambivalent use as earring or brooch. Inspired by the story of the eye of the lover, it represents an eye modelled in precious metal from which a cultivated white pearl hangs as symbol of a tear.

Mixing past and future, every piece is designed from the latest 3D techniques and crafted by local artisans through the old process of lost wax casting. The process is slow and the productions are small, but always responsible, sustainable and human. Pilar wanted to create a brand that is rooted in a purpose beyond aesthetics, contemporary heirlooms that make the wearer feel empowered, protected, stronger. Masculine and feminine, both are always present in Pilar’s personal aesthetics, for her there are no divisions.

- Can be worn as an earring or as a brooch
- Single piece
- 18Kt gold-plated 925 silver
- 60mm x 25mm
- 1 white cultured pearl 8m