Etymology & History
If you look up the word ephemeris in the English dictionary, you’ll find it defined as a traditional astronomical table or record used to track the daily positions of celestial bodies, mapping the trajectory of the stars and the moon as they move across the night sky.
Cross the ocean and go back in time to the late 19th century, and you’ll find that in the French culture and history une éphéméride carries a beautiful double meaning. Not only does it indicate the celestial log used to note the natural paths of the skies, but it also refers to a classic piece of European stationery: a traditional daily tear-off wall calendar. The front of each page would note the natural markers of the day {the date, the phase of the moon, and traditional names of celestial movements}, and the reverse side would reveal a thoughtful piece of daily lifestyle curation {a recipe, a historical note, or a bit of seasonal wisdom}.
Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find the ancient Greek roots of the word: ephemeros, which means “on this day.”
It reminds us that time is a gift moving forward . . . fleeting, beautiful phases to be observed and appreciated.
A Short Story
I remember…
…when I was a child, the quiet murmur of voices ‘en Francais’ coming from the kitchen in the house of my father’s mother, the elders gathered at the table, having coffee, and the children disappeared on their own adventure.
Often, I would seek my father’s lap rather than play, immersing myself in the comfort of that which I could not understand, listening to the gentle rise and fall of their voices, somehow understanding perfectly what really mattered in that room.
Years later, I found the same thing happening around my own kitchen table. Coffee with family and friends. Conversations that wandered comfortably from one subject to another.
A dear friend once told me that coffee at my table was one of her favorite memories.
A Philosophy
This appreciation for natural order is a cornerstone of my creative process. Many of you know this through the Heavenly Bodies collection, Aetheria, which was inspired by classical astronomy and the ancient historical mythologies that first named the planets. Aetheria was an exploration of intelligent design, how the classical order of the night sky can inspire tangible, elegant beauty in our everyday physical spaces.
L’Éphéméride is the natural extension of what drives my design philosophy.
While Aetheria translated the beauty of the skies into physical objects, this newsletter is a thoughtful log of how natural seasons and rhythms unfold down on earth. It is about grounding ourselves in the physical reality of the changing world around us, letting go of modern trends, and embracing timeless observation.
True sophistication is more about slowing down long enough to pay attention and deliberate living rather than anything else.
Luna Soeur is, of course, a jewelry atelier; however, I believe it to be so much more. This is the work of my hands and a great joy of my life. Every piece begins somewhere beyond the bounds of the workspace — in a story, a memory, a book, a conversation, a season, an observation gathered along the way, or perhaps, in the quiet musings of this mind.
Every Friday morning, this publication will serve as a thoughtful digital celestial calendar . . . a curated log of current happenings, work, and thoughts straight from my studio floor, alongside the gentle, physical rhythms of the changing seasons.
Consider this your weekly invitation to pause, look at the beauty of Creation, and ground yourself in the present moment.
Welcome to L’Éphéméride.
I am so glad you are here on this day.
