Britt’s Pick: Heavenly Vices’ Celestial Stories Gemini Pendant

By Brittany Siminitz | April 29, 2025

May, one of my favorite months of the year, makes its debut this week. Sure, its being the month of my birth has a lot to do with it, but it’s also one of the most beautiful due to its weather—it’s the final stretch of the spring season, the one where winter’s cold goes away for good, making way for sunny (often superhot!) summer days. It’s also the gateway for Jewelry Week in Las Vegas, the event often taking place at the end of May and spilling into June, but this year occurring in the latter month while May gives us time for last-minute planning.

Another one of May’s greatest hits? Its birthstone. That rich, gorgeous emerald, so intoxicating in its deep hue, a wonderful birthstone to possess but an even greater gem for anyone who loves green and the magic it holds (there’s a reason it was the Emerald City of Oz and not a village covered in aquamarine, for instance).

To have a big honkin’ emerald would be the dream, but it’s not one that everyone’s wallet (mine among them) can afford. So I love what the Atlanta-based brand Heavenly Vices has done, combining the beauty of emerald with the allure of malachite, and stone that mimics the birthstone’s color with extra dimension.

What’s more, the pendant features the symbol of Gemini—one of May’s zodiac signs, along with Taurus. There are zodiac collections aplenty in this industry, with new, impressive takes continually giving cause to celebrate the forever symbols, and I love this style in particular.

“Our latest Celestial Stories zodiac collection draws inspiration from my hometown of New Orleans, an unexpected historic source that embodies storytelling and secret symbolic messages common to all of Heavenly Vices’ jewelry,” Samantha Jackson tells JCK. “The use of decorative antique wrought-ironwork seen throughout the city that adorns homes, buildings, and even cemeteries are all major inspirations when coming up with the design.”

Each zodiac sign is featured throughout the Celestial Stories collection twice—one for each month the symbol spans—with a hard stone complementing the birthstone, combining a mix of materials that make these endlessly interesting. And if customization is your thing, Jackson tells us it’s always an option, so consumers can have it their way no matter their birthstone or zodiac sign. For me, the above is perfect: no notes, just the thing to add to the wish list for another trip around the sun.

Celestial Stories Gemini pendant in 14k yellow gold with malachite and emerald, $5,500; Heavenly Vices