Piece of the Week: Jade Trau’s ‘Ladybird’ Charm
From the brand’s latest collection of lucky charms, the ladybird is seen as a bearer of good fortune and a ward against negative energy.

Ladybirds, also known as ladybugs, are often viewed as bearers of good fortune with the ability to ward off negative energy.
That is why receiving a visit from a ladybug is considered special and designer Jade Trau tends to have them pop up at just the right moments in her life.
“When my dad passed away this summer, they seemed to surround me. They landed on me while I was sitting on the beach. I kept finding the same red one with two spots in my bathroom … or at least I told myself it was the same one,” said Trau, the founder and designer of her eponymous brand.
She said she chose the British English name of the bug in honor of her father, who was born and raised in Liverpool.
“In my grieving, and even now, I’m convinced it was my dad’s spirit surrounding me. I told my sister about it and the next day, she sent me a picture of a ladybird who landed on her while she was lying in bed.”
Ladybugs have become one of Trau’s lucky symbols, so it was necessary for her to include them as one of her eight newly released large-scale charms.
The “Ladybird” charm features an 18-karat yellow gold head and wings that cover a body of pavé-set diamonds totaling 0.97 carats.
Its pavé body is Trau’s “Frankie” design, which debuted at Couture last year, featuring graduating round, pear, and marquise-cut diamonds.
“Ladybird” and the seven other new charms mix contemporary design elements like the “Frankie” with cross-cultural symbols that have provided positivity and good luck to generations, said the brand.
The other charms in the collection include a horseshoe, four-leaf clover, scarab, elephant with tusks up, heart, hamsa, and star, all in 18-karat yellow gold with diamonds.
The “Ladybird” charm retails for $10,100.
It launched to retailers at the Melee show in New York City on Saturday and will be available soon on the Jade Trau website.
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