Rihanna’s latest Fenty fashion drop has a singular historical focus: cameo jewellery.
The musician-turned-mogul has reimagined the ancient tokens to immortalise the African woman’s beauty in profile in three pieces: a ring, a pair of earrings, and a pendant that doubles up as a brooch.
Unlike cameos of yore which have been worn as a symbol of intent – a token bearing the portrait of Eros, the God of Love, expresses a woman’s sexuality, while Medusa is said to ward off demons in Greece – Rihanna’s designs symbolise all beauty, or the beauty of difference. “The cameo is an emblem of fearlessness, elevation, creativity and joy – everything Fenty stands for,” reads the jewellery notes.
The profiles are realised in resin and glass, and framed by tiny pearls and beads like miniature works of art that Rihanna hopes will be passed down through generations.