In the Chinese zodiac, this is the year of the snake, a symbol of seduction and allure with a sinuous shape that is ideally suited to jewelry. It is a talisman for those born in the relevant year, and in some parts of China, people consider it a delicacy with potential health benefits. However, unlike other cultures, China tends to look less favorably on wearing snake motifs, preferring the dog, pig or monkey zodiac signs for that purpose. The Chinese describe the relationship as complex: The snake symbolizes wisdom but also gets bad press.
Nevertheless, Bulgari’s iconic Serpenti design is popular in the country. Hong Kong-based jewelry designer Austy Lee has created a few snake pieces to celebrate the zodiac year, and these have been immediately snapped up.
“We have customers wearing snake pendants as a talisman because some believe that the snake can ward off negative energy and bring good luck,” he says.
Middle Eastern myths
The snake has been a fascinating symbol throughout history and across different cultures, showing up frequently in jewelry. It has particular symbolism in the Middle East, where the mythology surrounding the serpent dates back to the biblical era. Beliefs in its powers vary.
Lebanese jewelry designer Selim Mouzannar describes the snake as a powerful figure in Egyptian and Greek texts, where “it represents the cycle of life, from beginning to end — a continuous flow of transformation and renewal.” He agrees that it can be a deeply contested symbol, “evoking both love and fear. In my jewelry, I choose to embrace its side of love.”
He’s based his Basilisk collection on the titular mythological snake, which has associations with danger and malevolence, if you know your Harry Potter. “But I remove the darker connotations, giving it a sense of tenderness,” he says of jewels that wrap the finger or coil around the neck with diamonds, tsavorites and colored sapphires.
In ancient Egypt, the snake “was deeply connected to power, fertility and rebirth,” says Amina Ghali, designer at jeweler Azza Fahmy and daughter of the brand’s eponymous founder. “You can see it everywhere — on the throne of Tutankhamun, in his chariots, and even Cleopatra’s snake crown.” Like the Naga in India, Egypt had its own snake god, who was engraved on the headdresses of kings and queens.
Azza Fahmy embraces this powerful symbol in its gold snake bangles, which often feature rose-cut diamonds or use the brand’s signature wirework and hand-piercing for texture.
Snake motifs “have long been a favorite of Azza Fahmy because they are so versatile,” continues Ghali. Her latest collection, Revival, features snakes as rings, collars and hoop earrings, each carefully hand-etched to imitate the scaled skin. “You can wear them for any occasion, whether you’re dressing up or keeping it casual,” she says, and clients “are drawn to and connect with the snake’s symbolism of rebirth.”
Scale models
In Rome, Bulgari introduced its Serpenti design in 1948 as a coiled bracelet watch. The motif has shed its skin many times, emerging most recently as the sleek, contemporary Viper collection. The Romans associated the snake with Asclepius, the god of healing.
In Greek mythology, it shared similar meanings of rebirth, transformation and health, inspiring a profusion of elegant designs at Greek jeweler Lalaounis. These range from smooth, slithering shapes to engraved and diamond-set coils.
Serpentine designs occasionally appear in Cartier’s collections, and Boucheron has its Serpent Bohème fine-jewelry line. Parisian jeweler Elie Top, meanwhile, has produced several rings and bracelets that combine his signature yellow gold and silver with geometric scales and ruby or emerald heads.
Entwined with England
What may be surprising is that the snake motif was also popular in Georgian and Victorian England, where its exotic shape found favor among women more likely to wear traditional floral jewelry.
“Victorians often used symbols from the natural world to imbue their jewelry with extra meaning,” relates Nicole Corsini, marketing director at Lang Antiques in San Francisco. The snake represented eternal love, “which helps explain why Prince Albert presented Queen Victoria with an emerald-headed snake engagement ring” — and of course, Victoria was the ultimate influencer of her day.
The building of the Suez Canal in 1869 and archaeologists’ excavations of ancient Egyptian tombs also fueled the fascination among Victorians, guiding jewelers to explore myriad ways of interpreting this timeless motif — from naturalistic to abstract, simple to ornate.
“Georgian and early-Victorian pieces are always handmade and one of a kind, so you tend to see labor-intensive decorative techniques like enameling and engraving,” explains Corsini. Later Victorian and early 20th-century jewelry saw the introduction of mass manufacturing, “so designs were often simplified [to be easier to reproduce] and to keep costs down.”
Snakes’ flexible bodies, she says, “lend themselves well to organic designs that wrap a finger, wrist or neck or encircle a precious jewel. Their skin textures and patterns can be represented with a wide variety of jewelry finishes.” Beyond that, she believes, “people are drawn — whether consciously or not — to the snakes’ inherent embodiment of the tension between beauty and danger.”
Main image: The Caduceus of Hermes pendant by Austy Lee with diamonds, abalone shell and mother-of-pearl. (Austy Lee)
