When we launched our Zodiac collection in April, one of the first people we wanted to share it with were our good friends The Astrotwins (twin sisters Ophira and Tali Edut). In addition to being our horoscope gurus (we read our horoscopes on their site daily), they also embody so many of the things we love as a brand: family, empowerment, and the power of story. They chatted with Monica about the zodiac collection and all of the things that inspire her, so we thought we'd share some of our favorite highlights from their conversation...
The Astrotwins on our Zodiac Collection...
"If you’re like us, you take a certain pride in embodying your zodiac sign—at least, the good traits of it! Maybe you’re a fearless Aries, an empathic Pisces or a Virgo tastemaker. Doesn’t the world deserve to know how awesome you are? There’s a certain alchemy that happens when you wear your zodiac symbol—especially when it’s been crafted with the love of a true artisan.
This spring, we’re tapping into that celestial superpower with fine jeweler Monica Rich Kosann’s Zodiac X Color Charm Collection. These beautiful colored-enamel pendants are sterling silver with 18K gold vermeil over them, designed at an affordable fine jewelry price point."
Some highlights from their interview with Monica...
Monica, what inspired you to do a zodiac line?
Monica: My whole life I used to read books about my sign AND I’d always read about the other people in my life. Everyone in my life is SO their sign, it’s incredible. There are certain signs that kept showing up: Pisces, Libra. Aries! I have so many Aries in my life—my mother and my daughter. I found that that the knowledge I gained from reading horoscopes empowered me. I really mean this!
Do you use astrology in your daily life?
Monica: There are many things in my life that I’ve accomplished just from reading my horoscope for the day. I don’t want to hear about tomorrow yet. It’s like, I have a couple things on my to-do list and I’m going to do them today. This is how I’ve always treated the zodiac. I read my personal horoscope, I read my girls’ horoscopes, I’ll send them their horoscopes. My husband is a Scorpio, I’ll send him his. I’ll remind them, “Today’s your day, go for it.”
What if you don’t get a good horoscope?
MRK: If my horoscope is crappy or “meh” I just go, “I’m gonna ignore this.”
Ha! It’s true. Do you see a connection between your approach to daily horoscopes and your jewelry?
Monica: Absolutely. I wear my jewelry to inspire me for the day and that’s the same way that I deal with astrology. My pieces are supposed to empower you for YOUR reason, your life, the roads YOU’RE taking. Horoscopes are our stories, and my jewelry is just another way for women to wear their stories. I compare jewelry to tattoos. Tattoos are your daily reminders, and I think of our jewelry that way too. And your horoscope is a daily reminder.
Life doesn’t happen in a flash or a minute. It’s a journey. We have to remember that our journeys can be empowered and inspired. I want people to feel empowered by their charm when they’re making their life choices.
This collection is a beautiful and unique interpretation of the zodiac signs. What inspired your choice of colored enamel as the material for the pendants?
Monica: These are sterling silver with 18K gold vermeil over them. I wanted something at a price point that was still fine jewelry, something attainable in the fine jewelry world.
I also wanted it to be FUN. Horoscopes are fun to me—I have pillows with my sign on them. To me that means fun, color, upbeat, happiness. Colors are happy. I wanted people to feel happy and something they could add to their “neck mess” and layer with other charms. I want my friends’ horoscopes, my kids, my grandkids.
I’ve been doing a lot of watercolor this past year and it’s really inspired my jewelry. We kind of deconstructed the zodiac symbols. For the colors, Aries HAD to be red. But Sagittarius I wanted to give something new, so I made it white. I wanted these to be pretty.