The Helios Pendant

The Helios Pendant is built around the discipline of geometric symmetry. Stoney designed this piece so the metalwork functions as an optical extension of the gemstone, utilizing alternating cylindrical gold rays to catch and reflect light outward across the neckline. Rather than attaching a separate, distracting bail loop that breaks the flow of the design, the uppermost vertical ray naturally transitions into the pendant's bail, keeping the silhouette monolithic and uninterrupted.

At the epicenter sits a round Australian sapphire, hand-selected in velvety royal blue or deep forest green, framed in solid 18k yellow, white, or rose gold. The contrast between the saturated, unheated depth of the natural sapphire and the warm mirror-polished gold creates a striking interplay of light: the center stone absorbs and refracts deep color, while the polished radial planes throw crisp gleams as the pendant moves.

Bringing an intricate radial design from raw casting to finished jewelry requires meticulous bench finishing. Because the channels between the individual gold rays are narrow, automated polishing wheels cannot reach them without rounding off the clean profile lines. Stoney and his bench team hand-lap every individual spoke using miniature abrasive cords and fine felt laps to achieve a mirror finish between each crevice, before hand-setting the central sapphire into its secure four-prong seat.