The Inspiration Behind the Moonrock Collection

"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."

— Carl Sagan

Space—the great unknown—has fascinated me since I was a child. I had Carl Sagan’s quote, Pale Blue Dot, plastered on my wall. I loved it so much that I went through the trouble of pursuing my aerospace degree at Purdue University. It was my dream of being an astronaut that led me to discover my fascination with “rockets” and later thermodynamics and design.

While I no longer design aircraft or spacecraft, I carry the lessons and traits I learned from those days into my work at Víya. The attention to detail, innovation, and creativity required for aerospace engineering are the same principles I use when designing jewelry.

This realization marked the beginning of our Moonrock Collection.

While brainstorming designs, I knew I wanted to create something masculine. It’s not easy to find jewelry that is subtle, unique, and meaningful for men. With this mission, we ended up designing a variety of unisex pieces that everyone can enjoy.

Drawing inspiration from the darker tones of the Natts diamonds, we used bezel settings to encase the stones in our designs. This approach enhanced their unique sparkle and added a slightly grey, otherworldly hue.

The Moonrock Collection is a celebration of the universe’s beauty and a tribute to my father’s vision. These pieces remind me of the vastness of the cosmos and the power of curiosity, all captured in wearable art.

- Manav Vaghashiya

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