The sun and the moon are the two lights everyone shares. For thousands of years, artists, astronomers and goldsmiths have placed them side by side: one for day, one for night; one gold, one silver. Few pairings in the history of design are older, or easier to recognise.
What do the sun and moon mean together?
Together, the sun and moon usually stand for balance: two opposites that complete each other. Day and night, warm and cool, constant and changing. The sun keeps the same form every day; the moon waxes and wanes. Placed side by side, they describe a whole cycle of time.
Mesopotamia: the first pair in stone
On Babylonian boundary stones, known as kudurru, the sun god Shamash and the moon god Sin were carved together at the top of the stone, often beside the eight-pointed star of Ishtar. Sun disc, crescent and star sat in a row: one of the earliest celestial "sets" in art.
Egypt, Greece and Rome: siblings of the sky
Egyptian art linked the sun with Ra and the moon with Khonsu and Thoth, and later tradition described the eyes of Horus as the sun and the moon. In Greek myth, Helios drove the chariot of the sun across the sky while his sister Selene drove the moon by night. The Romans knew them as Sol and Luna, names that survive in the language of the sky today.
Sol and Luna: gold and silver
Medieval and Renaissance alchemists gave each metal a heavenly body. Gold belonged to the sun, Sol; silver belonged to the moon, Luna. Alchemical manuscripts, such as the Rosarium philosophorum printed in 1550, show Sol and Luna as a king and queen joined together: the union of two opposites. This is why sun and moon jewellery so often pairs gold with silver.
Sun and moon meaning in love
From these old images of two lights sharing one sky, the pairing has become a modern symbol for two people who are different but belong together. A sun and moon gift is often chosen for partners, sisters, or a mother and daughter, with one wearing the sun and the other the crescent.
Wearing the sun and moon today
At THENÚM, the sun and the crescent are sculpted as separate pieces so they can be worn alone, layered or shared. Every piece is made in 925 sterling silver, some finished in 18K micron gold plating, designed in Edinburgh and handcrafted in Istanbul.
- Spiral Sun Necklace: an open spiral that unwinds into rays, in 18K micron gold-plated sterling silver.
- Sun Shines Earrings: hand-sculpted sun-face studs with a soft matte gold finish.
- Sun Shines Necklace: a sun-shaped pendant in 18K micron gold-plated sterling silver.
- Familia Luna Crescent Necklace: an openwork filigree crescent in 18K micron gold-plated sterling silver.
- Minimal Crescent Necklace: a clean, everyday crescent for layering.
For a sun and moon pairing, try the Spiral Sun Necklace layered with the Minimal Crescent, or give the sun to one person and the crescent to another.
Read more
Discover the full story of each symbol in the THENÚM Journal: the sun in jewellery, the crescent moon, the spiral sun and silver, the moon's metal. Or browse the celestial jewellery collection.
