A very good friend of my husband is an elite Navy Seal currently serving our country. Last year he had asked me if I would design a piece of jewelry for him to give to his future wife. He told me about his favorite myth and wanted me to design the piece based on the story.

Both history and mythology are combined in this heartwarming story. Coma Berenices is an actual constellation, located near Leo. Its name literally means "Berenice's Hair".  Berenice  was an Egyptian Queen and her husband was off serving at war. The myth states that Berenice was so concerned about the safety of her husband, that she promised the goddess Aphrodite that she would sacrifice her beautiful blonde hair if her husband returned home from war safely.

Her husband did return safely. Faithful to her word, she cut off her hair and offered it to the gods who had watched over her husband. The gods were so pleased with Berenices sacrifice that they placed her hair into the heavens creating the constellation.

With 'full artistic license' I came up with a number of designs which I e-mailed to him while he was overseas and he chose this one.  The silver circle represents both earth and the moon. The gold strands represent Berenice's beautiful blonde hair, and the diamonds are the stars which create the actual constellation.

Creating this piece was such an honor for me to do. I cried when he e-mailed me the story. The loved ones of military personnel are going through their own battles. My heart goes out to the families for enduring many sacrifices and I thank those men and women who choose to serve our country. Especially the amazing Navy Seals!!!