The recent launch of my new engraved starry silver amulet rings marks the beginning of a larger project for the year, where I’ll be exploring engraving and symbolism more deeply, shaped by research into art history, literature, folklore and magical symbolism. Alongside lots of one-of-a-kind engraved amulet rings, modern posy rings and engraved necklace charms, I’ll be sharing some of the inspiration behind them here on the Journal - stories, images, fragments of symbolism and lore, and the occasional playlist to help set the mood for each theme.
And to kick things off in this journey through the vast world of symbolism I'm starting with stars.
Star Cluster in Hercules by Étienne Léopold Trouvelot, 1882, from The Trouvelot Astronomical Drawings
Ancient Star Symbolism
The star as a symbol appears across cultures and times. It is a universal symbol often representing inspiration, guidance, truth, and divinity, and we have probably been gazing up at the stars in the night sky seeking those things since the first stirrings of consciousness.
In ancient Egyptian belief, the stars represented the souls of the dead. In ancient Greek and Roman culture, the celestial bodies, including stars, were gods and goddesses. Stars of one kind or another appear all over medieval art and architecture, and as this is the historical period I'm most fascinated by it's probably no wonder that the star is a motif that crops up often in my sketchbooks and my jewellery - I doodle sprinklings of stars around sketchbook pages, engrave little stars into gold and silver, and star-set diamonds to accentuate their twinkle and shimmer.
There are so many symbolic meanings associated with stars, from religious associations, to celestial symbols in magic, and the myth and folklore of the constellations. Stars are associated with gods and goddesses, spirits, ancestors and departed loved ones, and because of their importance in navigation they are inextricably linked to guidance, both literal and metaphorical.
"Stars tell us of the infinite, the visionary, of something in ourselves that is starlike, star stuff. In loss, we look up and find in the beckoning incandescence of a single star the longed-for soul of the departed."
- Taschen, The Book of Symbols: Reflections on Archetypal Images
Couzantes Stars, 1587, from Kometenbuch
What does a five-pointed star symbolise?
The five-pointed star is often the one that children draw, and in modern pop culture it is almost ubiquitous - it stands as a shorthand for sparkle, joy, fun and festivities - but there are deeper meanings if we go back in time to the medieval period, where in the middle-ages the five pointed star represented the five wounds of Jesus, and it appears as the Star of Bethlehem, shining above the stable where the newborn Jesus lies.
In modern Wiccan belief the five-pointed star, or pentagram, represents the five elements of earth, air, fire, water and spirit, and when positioned upright (ie. with spirit at the top) is associated with light, spirituality and aspiration. In occult lore, pointing downwards it is associated with evil or black magic.
A custom monogram pendant - 9ct gold with a hand engraved letter M and a sprinkling of engraved stars
What does a four-pointed star symbolise?
The four-pointed star, like the quatrefoil in gothic architecture and the four-leaf clover today, has been a potent good luck charm for centuries.
The four points symbolise balance, wholeness, totality and completion (think of the four points of the compass, the four elements, the four winds, the four quarters of the moon, the four rivers of Paradise, the four seasons…). It is everywhere in medieval art and it is closely linked with the cross, which in itself is a universal symbol which far predates the Christian religion which it is often associated with.
As above, so below
The four-pointed star can also represent the hermetic principle of ‘as above, so below, as within, so without’ - the law of correspondences, the macrocosm as a reflection of the microcosm - which suggests that what we hold close, and give attention to, can shape what unfolds around us.
In that sense, a seemingly simple piece of jewellery becomes more layered. For example, wearing a four-pointed star on a silver ring calls upon the correspondences of the metal silver (silver is associated with the moon, and is protective and purifying), the shape of a circle (the circle symbolises wholeness, eternity, protection from harm), as well as the symbolism of the star (a point of light, a marker of guidance). Brought together, they become something more than they first appear: an amulet, a personal talisman, carrying meaning in a way that feels both ancient and intimate.
Magical jewellery: 'as above so below, as within so without' star-engraved silver ring
Stars in Alchemy
The seven-pointed star, or heptagram, is another star often seen in medieval art. In alchemy it represents the seven ‘planets’ (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and the seven alchemical substances (gold, silver, mercury, copper, iron, tin, and lead) linked to the quest for spiritual transformation.
Medieval Amulet Rings
There’s a fascinating interplay between the physical and the mystical in medieval jewellery. On the one hand, it’s very grounded - all raw textures, simplistic forms, and gemstones intended to heal the body, ward off plague, protect from poison. And at the same time, it is always partially turned to the sublime - magic, faith, spirituality and superstition, all represented and given equal weight, with no lines imposed between the everyday and the eternal. Jewellery was physical, material, magical, all at once, and amulet rings - gold or silver rings carrying meaningful, often magical or spiritual inscriptions and symbols - were worn by both the poor and the powerful to protect from evil and harm.
Many of these amulet rings featured stars for their associations with good luck, protection, and the divine, and there are some wonderful examples to be found in the catalogue in the British Library - a reference that I often turn to when researching historical jewellery.
Silver amulet ring engraved with three stars
Posy Rings, Historical and Modern
Posy rings (sometimes spelled poesy or posie) became popular at the end of the medieval period and have continued to be worn in the centuries since. Like amulet rings, they often feature inscriptions, engravings of words, often combined with symbols, meant to signify love, friendship and devotion. The inscriptions were often short poems (their name is derived from the French word poésie, for poem), and there is a lovely example, again on the British Museum catalogue, of a gold band ring covered in stars, and engraved with a poem about stars:
"Many are thee starrs I see yet in my eye no starr like thee"
Gold finger ring, 17th century, British Museum
My new engraving work is very much inspired by the tradition of medieval posy rings - symbols and inscriptions engraved by hand, secret messages to be worn like a spell for love, protection, inspiration or enchantment. But no longer are they reserved for promises of fidelity and honour. Here, that tradition is reimagined through small engraved stars - simple, enduring symbols, open to your own meaning.
A silver amulet ring or wedding band engraved with four four-pointed stars around the circumference. The four-pointed star has been a potent good luck charm for centuries.
Shop engraved amulet rings here.