Daniela Banci, The Sirens, the Celestial Spheres and the Song of the Universe Necklace, 2023, sterling Silver, 750 gold, Ø 24 cm

The work was inspired by Plato's doctrine of the spheres which, through the Myth of Er in the last book of The Republic, describes the structure of a geocentric universe made up of eight orbits. On  top of each orbit there is a Siren who sings a single note and, rotating, the Siren ensemble is in harmony (the harmony of the spheres), which is then reflected in music. Three circular silver and frosted yellow gold wires represent the metal orbits, and engraved frosted Platonic solids and octahedrons that slide along those orbits allude to the Sirens and the song of  the Universe.

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Daniela Banci, Allegory of the Cave Brooch, 2023, sterling silver, 750 gold, w 8 cm, × h 6 cm

The jewel is a homage to Plato as portrayed in the Studiolo, and in particular to the allegory of the cave described in The Republic, Book VII. According to Plato, the philosopher's duty is to show the  truth to those who do not know it and, to explain this concept, he describes the path to enlightenment of a slave chained in a cave. Education reveals itself to be a liberation. The brooch is made up of an embossed silver plate on top of which is an embossed yellow gold plate with a central slit, alluding to the cave. In the foreground, a rectangular yellow gold element symbolises a mooring.