Spiral Jewelry, Eternal Symbol of Change and Life
A continuous line that wraps around a fixed point, never returning to itself: this is how dictionaries define the spiral. In reality, it is not just an element of geometry: the spiral is a recurring form in nature and for this reason is also found in many cultures, from the arts to religions, with strong symbolic meanings. Since ancient times, indeed, spiral jewelry has represented cyclicality, evolution, the movement of life and the connection between the human and the divine.
The Spiral in Nature: the Path of Life
The symbolism associated with this form over the centuries stems from observation of the natural world. There are many examples in the animal and plant kingdoms: the petals of many flowers, such as roses, or the shells of mollusks often follow a spiral pattern. This immediately suggested, since ancient times, a connection between this curved line, wrapped around itself, and the manifestation of life as cycles of change and transformation.
It is a recurring form even beyond our planet: in the cosmos many galaxies, like the Milky Way, are spiral-shaped, with arms wrapped around a central nucleus. And it is also found, conversely, in the infinitely small: DNA, which contains the genetic information of human beings, has a double helix structure.
There is an interesting connection between nature and mathematics: often, the forms of plants or shells are logarithmic spirals, which follow a precise series of numbers called the Fibonacci sequence, named after the Italian mathematician who discovered it in the early 1200s. This sequence of numbers is linked to the golden ratio, which is often found in nature, as in the shell of the Nautilus mollusk, and which represents an ideal of beauty and harmony.
The Spiral in Art: from Symbol of Aesthetic Perfection to Expression of Creativity
For this reason, the spiral pattern derived from the Fibonacci sequence has also been applied by numerous artists. A famous example is Leonardo da Vinci, who used this structure in the famous portrait of the Mona Lisa, but also in the fresco of the Last Supper and in the drawing of the Vitruvian Man.
But the spiral in art is often found, even in works from different eras. Two famous examples are Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night (1889) and Gustav Klimt’s works from the early twentieth century.
In the first painting, Van Gogh places beams of light in the night sky that wrap around themselves, giving a sensation of movement that contrasts with the other fixed stars.
Klimt, among the recurring geometric forms in his paintings, often uses the symbol of the spiral, linked to the curved forms of Viennese Secession: it dominates in the branches of the Tree of Life, all composed of volutes of different sizes, but often returns in the decorative details of the clothing of his female characters, as in The Kiss or in Judith. In The Virgin the spiral is in the decoration of the dress in the foreground, but is especially in the composition of the seven female bodies that are the protagonists of the painting.
The Spiral as a Spiritual Symbol of Rebirth and Connection with the Divine
Beyond the meaning of the spiral in art, in many religions this symbol represents man’s spiritual journey and his connection with divinity.
In ancient cultures the spiral was used in sacred buildings, such as in the Ionic capitals that adorned Greek temples, or in artifacts dedicated to funeral rites. In Christianity it was associated with the vine branch, symbol of Christ and eternal life. In Celtic tradition, one of the best-known icons is the triskele, formed by three identical spirals joined at the center, which indicates the cyclical nature of life in the union between past, present, and future.
Eastern philosophies and religions associate the spiral with the concept of rebirth and the eternal cycle of life. One of the symbols of Buddhism is the conch shell (Sankha in Sanskrit), which represents strength and protection from evil and is also used as a musical instrument at the beginning of Buddhist ceremonies. The Dharma wheel also recalls the spiral, representing the law of the universe and the path to enlightenment.
The Spirals Collection
The Spirals collection is a great classic among Daverio1933 jewelry. A symbol devoted to beauty for a timeless collection.
