Compared to most feline friends, Taylor Swift’s cat—known as Benjamin Button—had already had a serious taste of fame after appearing on the front cover of Time in December last year, luxuriously draped over his pop icon owner, when she was crowned the magazine’s 2023 Person Of The Year. Now, the ultra-fluffy feline is lighting up social media once more, brought to life upon a precious pinky ring given to Taylor Swift by her close friend Gigi Hadid, rendering thousands of Swifties desperate to decode its personalised details and secret engraving.
The British fine jewellery brand behind the custom-made piece, Cece Jewellery, shared a photo of the finished piece on Instagram earlier this week, with founder Cece Fein-Hughes explaining how honoured she felt to work on a piece for the singer-songwriter. “This project was quite unique because I had already pre-designed this sketch for our social media campaign where our followers guess the celebrity pet,” says Fein-Hughes, who soon found herself commissioned by model Gigi to turn the sketch into reality—with just a few personal tweaks.
“We wanted it to symbolise her favourite things, that could always stay close to her, no matter the distance,” Fein-Hughes explains. So, alongside the portrait of Swift’s much-loved Ragdoll, two tattoo-style flaming hearts bear the number 13—her lucky number—and 87, the jersey number of her NFL superstar boyfriend, Travis Kelce, whom she brought on stage on the closing night of her Eras tour in London. A little more subtle is the ring’s secret engraving, “TTPD”, delicately scribed on the inside of the band, is a reference to Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department, that was requested by Hadid herself.
Cece Jewellery specialises in one-of-a-kind commissions handmade using 18-carat gold and champlevé enamelling, and the brand has steadily gained a cult following since its launch in 2019. Its bespoke pinky ring service starts from £3,200, and this one-to-one experience enables each client to recreate precious memories upon a miniature canvas, with the choice of twinkling diamond accents and petite pearls.
“I love sketching personal symbols and motifs that hold deep meaning for people, crafting them into a miniature magical story they can cherish forever,” the Devon-born designer explains. “The inspiration behind these pieces is limitless and our customers draw on so many wonderful things that may not look like something to us, but have so much meaning to them.”
Believe it or not, this is not one of the West London-based brand’s most unusual commissions. “Pets are a huge part of what we do at Cece Jewellery. For many people, pets are like children, so it’s wonderful to offer a way to keep them close, forever immortalised,” enthuses Fein-Hughes. “One of our most unique signet rings recently featured Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man with Game of Thrones-inspired dragon wings, set against a galaxy backdrop, and we are currently working on a Disney-themed piece featuring a Birkin Bag.”
This article was originally published on British Vogue.
