New Pendants Inspired by Shakespeare 2026

New Designs for Stratford Art Society Exhibition 2026

This is my third year of exhibiting with the Stratford-upon-Avon Art Society. For each of the past two Summer Exhibitions, I wanted to create something special with Stratford in mind, and the works of William Shakespeare have been my source of inspiration. This year I found myself unable to resist returning to the town’s most famous playwright yet again for more ideas.

Once again, I have designed six one-off statement pendants in sterling silver, each inspired by one of Shakespeare’s plays. Here are my 2026 Shakespeare-inspired pendants, with a brief explanation of the ideas behind each piece.

Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra is the story of the passionate but ultimately destructive love affair between the Roman general Mark Antony and Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. As Antony struggles to balance his devotion to Cleopatra with his political duties to Rome, their relationship leads to military defeat. Rather than face capture and humiliation, both choose death, making the play one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies of love, power and honour.

My pendant incorporates three symbols that capture the essence of the play: 

 • Pyramid – An iconic symbol of ancient Egypt and I have used this to represent Cleopatra. The beautiful lapis lazuli gemstone pyramid, is a rich royal blue, flecked with gold and reflects Shakespeare’s portrayal of her as a strong, charismatic and intelligent queen.

 • Ankh – The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for “life”, the ankh was a sacred royal and religious emblem for thousands of years. In religious ceremonies, it was held to the mouths of pharaohs to enable the gods to bestow the breath of life. Also known as the “key of life”, it has come to symbolise the union of male and female and the creation of new life. This seems fitting to represent the passionate love and powerful bond between Antony and Cleopatra.

 • Asp – The highly venomous snake that brings about Cleopatra’s death. Rather than submit to Octavius Caesar and be paraded through Rome as a captive, she chooses to die by the asp’s bite, preserving her dignity and bringing the tragedy to its poignant conclusion.

“Give me my robe. Put on my crown.
I have immortal longings in me.
Now no more the juice of Egypt’s grape
shall moist this lip.” 
 Antony and Cleopatra, Act 5, Scene 2 

Materials: Recycled sterling silver, natural lapis lazuli, hung on an 18” (45cm) sterling silver belcher chain.

Pendant height: 45mm   width: 26mm

Shakespeare’s King Lear

King Lear tells the story of an ageing king who divides his kingdom between his three daughters, believing their declarations of love reveal their loyalty. His tragic misjudgement leads to betrayal, madness and heartbreak, making the play one of Shakespeare's most powerful explorations of pride, family, loyalty and the consequences of failing to see the truth.

My pendant symbolises the king and his daughters: 

 • Oak Leaves - In this pendant Lear is represented as a mighty oak tree, symbolising the king’s strength, authority and the deep roots of his royal lineage.

 • Acorns - Three acorns represent the king’s daughters, the seeds of his legacy, each carrying the potential to grow and ultimately shape the fate of the kingdom through their choices.

As Lear stands in the middle of a violent storm, after being rejected by his daughters Goneril and Regan, he speaks to the forces of nature, almost as if he is calling upon the heavens to punish the world that has become so cruel and unjust:

“You sulphurous and thought-executing fires,
vaunt-couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts…”
King Lear, Act 3, Scene 2 

Materials: Recycled sterling silver, hung on an 18” (45cm) sterling silver belcher chain.

Pendant height: 48mm   width: 18mm

Shakespeare’s Macbeth

The play Macbeth tells the story of a brave Scottish warrior whose ambition is awakened by a prophecy that he will become king. Driven by desire for power and encouraged by his wife, Macbeth commits murder to seize the throne, setting in motion a tragic descent into guilt, paranoia and destruction.

Lady Macbeth is ambitious for her husband. She challenges Macbeth’s hesitation and persuades him to commit regicide, believing that power is worth any moral cost. However, as guilt takes hold, her strength unravels, leading to a tragic descent into guilt, madness and despair.

My pendant incorporates four symbols that capture the ambition, guilt and tragedy at the heart of Macbeth: 

 • Lady Macbeth’s hands – While sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth imagines blood stains on her hands, a haunting reminder of the guilt she cannot escape after the crimes she has helped to commit. 

 • Archway – The archway represents the dark interior of the Scottish castle, the setting where ambition, betrayal and murder unfold. 

 • Deep red garnet – The rich red gemstone symbolises the blood that has been spilled and the devastating consequences of the pursuit of power. 

 • Crown – The crown represents the ultimate prize of ambition: the kingship Macbeth seeks to gain, a symbol of power that ultimately brings destruction rather than fulfilment.

“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” 
Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 1

“Nought’s had, all’s spent, Where our desire is got without content.”
Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 2

Materials: Recycled sterling silver, natural 8mm garnet, hung on an 18” (45cm) sterling silver belcher chain. 

Pendant height: 48mm   width: 26mm

Shakespeare’s As You Like It

As You Like It is a comedy of transformation, following Rosalind as she flees to the Forest of Arden disguised as a young man. In the freedom of the forest, identities are reshaped, love flourishes, old grievances are healed, and characters discover their truest selves. The play contains Shakespeare’s famous Seven Ages of Man speech, which uses the metaphor of life as a play in which everyone has different roles to perform.

My pendant contains the following symbolism: 

 • Oak and ivy Leaves – Leaves of the forest form the stage curtains

 • Comedy & Tragedy Masks – Traditionally representing the theatre, the masks also reflect the disguises and mistaken identities at the heart of the play

 • Butterfly – Representing the transformations that take place throughout the story

 • Harebells – The delicate little bell-shaped woodland flowers represent wedding bells, celebrating the four marriages that bring the play to its conclusion.

“All the world's a stage,
and all the men and women merely players”
As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 7

Materials: Recycled sterling silver, hung on an 18” (45cm) sterling silver belcher chain.

Pendant height: 39mm   width: 38mm

Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing is a romantic comedy set in the gardens of Messina, where wit, deception and misunderstanding intertwine with love and reconciliation. Through the unlikely romance of Beatrice and Benedick, Shakespeare explores how affection can begin as a small seed of admiration, then flourish into a deeper love when it is nurtured with trust, patience and understanding.

This pendant is an overall metaphor for the nurturing and blossoming of love:

 • Bush with heart-shaped flowers – The flowering bush represents love growing from a tiny seed of affection into something beautiful and enduring. Each delicate heart-shaped flower symbolises the love that blossoms when it is carefully nurtured.

 • Watering can – Pouring water onto the bush, the watering can represents the care, trust and understanding needed to nourish love and allow it to flourish.

 • Yellow opal – Representing the warmth of the sun, the golden gemstone symbolises the light, encouragement and positivity that help love to grow and thrive.   

“I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange?”
Much Ado About Nothing, Act 4, Scene 1

Materials: Recycled sterling silver, copper, 8mm natural yellow opal, hung on an 18” (45cm) sterling silver belcher chain.

Pendant height: 48mm   width: 24mm  

Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew is a lively comedy that explores courtship, marriage and the clash of two strong personalities. Through the spirited relationship between Katherina and Petruchio, Shakespeare examines the balance between independence, compromise and the changing expectations of love and partnership.

My pendant uses the imagery of a flourishing vine as a metaphor for growth and transformation within the play:

 • Trailing grape vine – The vine symbolises the relationship between Katherina and Petruchio. Like a climbing vine, their partnership twists and turns through conflict and misunderstanding before, with time, patience and mutual understanding, it grows strong enough to bear fruit.

 • Bunch of grapes – The grapes symbolise the fruits of that journey, suggesting abundance, harmony and the rewards that come when two people learn to grow together.

 • Shrew – The shrew represents Katherina's spirited, outspoken nature. Rather than symbolising something to be subdued, it celebrates her strength of character and the individuality that lies at the heart of the play. 

 “I find you passing gentle.
’Twas told me you were rough, and coy, and sullen…”
The Taming of the Shrew, Act 2, Scene 1

Materials: Recycled sterling silver, hung on an 18” (45cm) sterling silver belcher chain.

Pendant height: 39mm   width: 26mm

Stratford-upon-Avon Art Society Summer Exhibition 2026

The exhibition will be open daily from 12th to 23th August at King Edward VI school in the centre of Stratford. You will see a fabulous collection of artwork on display, both 2D and 3D, by so many talented local artists, so do visit if you can.