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This spring, jewelry designs journey for inspiration to medieval castles, gothic cathedrals, baroque opera houses, and neoclassical squares. Directional pieces this season draw influences from decorative architectural elements including wrought iron, scrollwork, relief patterns, and friezes. Silhouettes of stained glass windows are masterfully crafted into settings for small and large colored gemstones. Scaled down and accented by diamonds, these motifs have been translated into feminine jewelry.

Designers like Scott Colee masterfully mine centuries of architectural history for inspiration for modern pieces. “The combination of linear shapes and graceful flowing curves makes for endless possibilities in jewelry,” he says.

Megan Thorne, Jamie Wolf, and Jessica Elliot are inspired by wrought iron, which each designer has interpreted in a distinctive way. “When taken out of its context of form and function, ironwork has an almost ethereal quality,” Thorne says. “For me, it represents a combination of delicacy and strength in its look and feeling, to which many women can relate.”

Betty Lou Moscot of Blu is influenced by a childhood visiting European castles and churches: “With my collection, my goal is to evoke the spiritualism behind the architecture, creating contemporary and collectible jewelry.”

But the best designs transform ancient inspiration into modern motifs. A rose window pendant by Jessica Fields is derived from the stained glass of Paris cathedrals updated into a modern medallion.