A few medieval cartographers drew dragons and sea creatures into maps with the phrase Hic sunt dracones (Here be dragons) to denote that the region was unexplored and potentially perilous. The ancient practice inspired Liv Ballard to create a series of stunning ­bejeweled globes wrapped in diamond-studded dragons. This verdant Earth—actually a pendant that spins on a solid gold axis—is covered in brilliant tsavorites. “I’m a lover of globes, maps, and everything that has to do with navigation, wanderlust, and exploration,” says the Los Angeles–based designer. Ballard’s now-signature Dragon Globes “are the pieces I wanted to produce the most, ever,” she says. “I started drawing them two years before they were ever made.”Little ItalyAll of Ballard’s pieces are fabricated in a small atelier in Rome. The designer says she traveled the world to find craftspeople who c