pomegranate_heartThe Pomegranate Heart

My friend Cathleen Bunt has done it again – the Pomegranate Heart for Valentine’s Day. You may recall my past post on Cathleen’s Buddha Pendants.

Here’s what Cathleen has to say about her latest knock-out pendant:

The name pomegranate derives from the Latin words pomum “apple” and granatus “seeded”. With its bulging red seeds, orb like shape and crown like calyx, this fruit has captured attention throughout the ages and become an enduring symbol.

In my design I have merged the pomegranate with the heart to create a symbol of passionate and abundant love. Some Jewish scholars believe the forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden was actually a pomegranate rather than an apple. Perhaps you’d like to tempt your sweetheart with this exquisite delight.

sandro_botticelli

Pomegranates are often seen in religious paintings like this one by Sandro Botticelli.

The fruit, in the hands of the infant Jesus, symbolizes  Christ’s heart, while the calyx represents a crown and the seeds, the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom.

In the Judaism, the pomegranate is a symbol of righteousness, because it is said to have 613 seeds which correspond to the 613 commandments of the Torah.

In Greece it is a symbol of abundance, fertility and good luck. It is traditional to break a pomegranate on the ground at weddings and on New Years.

My Pomegranate Heart – is richly seeded with red rubies, exposed by a heart shaped opening in the rind.

The locket-like form of this piece, has 3 layers. The top rind in 18k gold, the inside layer – an 18k plate set w/ .70ct of fine red rubies and a back plate (shown below) with a pierced design.

the_pomegranate_heart1The chain cleverly passes through an opening between the leaf and the stem.

Whatever the pomegranate represents to you, with its many seeds, it is undeniably a symbol of fruitfulness.

Here you see the back of my pomegranate heart with a pierced design I like to call,  ‘planting the seeds of love’.

Why not plant a seed in your loved one’s heart this Valentines Day?

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