This month, New Delhi-based fashion designer Manish Arora joins the ranks of couturiers who have collaborated with Swarovski Crystallized on limited-edition jewelry collections (previous participants include Catherine Malandrino, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Jonathan Saunders), releasing a colorful line of heart-shaped pendants and beaded necklaces made using Swarovski Elements.
The Manish Arora for Swarovski Crystallized "Hearts" collection draws on the traditional use of heart shapes to connote love, with each pendant shaped like the palpitating organ, but by manipulating the shapes and colors of the hearts, he connotes different emotions associated with love — from infatuation to passion, commitment, longing, and ruefulness.
The "Crazy For U" pendant (pictured last, above), for instance, captures the hopeful, ready-to-skip, swelling-in-your-chest enchantment we experience during the initial phase of falling in love thanks to the pendant's golden yellow color, the way the faceted edges make the light radiate outward, giving the piece a sunny radiance, and the usage of golden pearl and butterfly-shaped crystal accents. Similarly, the "Devoted 2 U" pendant (pictured second from top) focuses on the passionate aspect of love through its use of a faceted, fiery red crystal, cut in a more asymmetrical manner so as to give the resulting heart shape the appearance of greater kinetic energy and fluidity. The "Truly in Love" pendant (pictured at top) features an exquisite astral pink and gold palette that's rich and nuanced, like love itself. The amber tones are intense and all-enveloping, while the shape of the heart feels particularly robust and bountiful thanks to the way the crystal is faceted, with angles that seem to work in a near concentric manner with the larger heart shape. The round pink stone at the center of the heart add that extra bit of pizazz, possibly indicating just how precious true love is. Dainty golden chain strands loop the top of the heart-shaped crystal to a string of beads: from a small, golden pearl to a mauve-ish pink, marble-like, round bead and a faceted amber-toned crystal bead.
On the other end of the spectrum there's the "Miss U" pendant (pictured fourth above), which features a faceted crystal with a hollow interior to highlight the notion of absence, silver-plated chains wrapped around the heart's bottom and lower ridges, perhaps to indicate the type of weighted feeling that accompanies heartbreak and the dissolution of a relationship. The teardrop shaped crystal dangling from the heart's bottom peak, meanwhile, amplifies the sorrowful motif.
All pendants measure 70mm in length (except for "Miss U" pendant, which measures 90mm due to the teardrop motif) and can be combined with any necklace from the collection. Check out the images after the jump for a look at some of the beaded necklace options.
Talk about mighty hearts!
Pictured above, before jump: Truly in Love Pendant Necklace, $205; Devoted To U Pendant, $205; Forever 1 Pendant Necklace, $205; Miss U Pendant Necklace, $205; and Crazy for U Pendant Necklace. All available at Swaroski-Crystallized.com
Pictured below: Truly in Love Long Necklace, $180; Crazy 4 U Long Necklace, $180; and Forever 1 Long Necklace, $180. All available at Swarovski-Crystallized.com
