Malta Cross Silver Coin on Freshwater Pearl Necklace

A 1976 Maltese coin — silver plated, engraved with the island's iconic bee motif — set in a gold beaded sunburst frame and suspended from a freshwater pearl necklace. The two-tone combination of silver coin against gold frame gives the Malta an architectural quality that reads more collected than composed.

The bee has been endemic to Malta for centuries, producing a honey found nowhere else in the world — which is why it earned a place on the island's currency. Susan Shaw sets it exactly as it deserves: centered, framed, to be appreciated.