A cherished family memory was the inspiration that spurred jewellery designer Cassandra Goad to create her first quote pendants.
Cassandra’s cousin, Matilda, asked for her help to preserve the wise words of her grandmother, Jean, in an engraving. Cassandra came up with the idea of turning the sentence into an exquisitely handwritten spiral, which she engraved on a gold pendant reminiscent of a worn Roman coin.
Since then, she has created more than twenty different quote pendant designs in gold and silver, featuring anything that catches her attention, from literary phrases to prayers, encouragements and even sayings she picks up during her many adventures around the world.
Among the many uplifting quotes, A.A. Milne’s ‘You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think’ is a reminder to not put oneself down while Alice in Wonderland’s ‘If you don’t explore, you’ll never discover’—winner of the National Poetry Day Competition in 2017—urges people to embrace their inner curiosity and, with it, the world.
As well as being beautiful jewels, Cassandra’s pendants are a way for people to preserve family and friendships bonds over time and distance. ‘I love to think of godparents, grandparents and friends sharing the quotes, binding them together through life, however far apart they may be,’ she says. ‘Just like Matilda’s grandmother still speaks to her grand-daughter through my very first pendant.’
This year, Cassandra added three new quote pendants to mark the 35th anniversary of her jewellery designing: the first is engraved with a quote from Shakespeare, the second features French author André Gide and the third shares the wisdom of an anonymous writer.
Beyond empowering wearers, the pendants also help support people in need, as profits from the sale of two designs—‘Horatio’s Garden’ and ‘Onwards’—go to charity (the former to the eponymous charity, which creates gardens in NHS spinal centres, and the latter to the Endeavour Fund, which assists wounded servicemen and women, and, during the Covid-19 outbreak, to Salute the NHS, which brings hot meals to doctors and nurses).
Alongside her existing range, Cassandra also creates bespoke pendants with her clients’ choice of inspirational words, designs and even handwriting—something she has been doing a great deal during lockdown, as people increasingly turned to her to mark a graduation, an anniversary or a special birthday. With such a wide range of artfully engraved quotes, Cassandra has a pendant to suit any wearer—and any occasion.
For more details on Cassandra’s quote pendants, visit www.cassandragoad.com
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