How Princess Leia’s Star Wars Jewelry was Inspired by the Moon Landing
While most everyone is familiar with Luke Skywalker and Han Solo receiving medals of valor at the end of the first Star Wars movie, not everyone knows the story of Princess Leia's jewelry from that scene and how it was inspired by the 1969 Apollo moon landing years before it was seen in one of the most famous sci-fi movies in the world.
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Those pieces—Princess Leia's Planetoid Valleys necklace and Darina's Bracelet—were designed by Björn Weckström and are now some of the most famous finished jewelry pieces out there. They were part of his first silver jewelry collection, the Space Silver line, which coincided with the exploration of space, including the first moonwalk in 1969.
The themes of the collection revolved around space, science fiction, and psychedelic dreamscapes.
In the spring of 1976, Weckström received a phone call from George Lucas's secretary. Lucas was in need of some jewelry for his new film, the title of which wasn't disclosed during the conversation. He specifically wanted jewelry designed by Weckström, and it needed to be ready in 6 weeks for the filming of a particular scene.
At the time, George Lucas wasn't a well-known name in Finland, but Weckström was intrigued by the project and agreed, confirming the timeline was doable. Since space and science fiction were recurring themes in his work, designing jewelry for this unnamed project was probably pretty exciting. He began sketching a necklace designed specifically for the film, but progress was swiftly halted when Lucas's secretary reached out again. Weckström was informed that the shooting schedule had changed and the jewelry would now be needed in just one week.
The compressed timeline made it impossible to complete the new design in time, so an alternative had to be found. Their conversation shifted to Weckström's existing body of work. Since the film was being shot in London, the secretary asked if any of his designs were available there. As it turns out, there was a jewelry dealer on Bond Street, and the secretary was given their contact information. The production team promised to visit the London store to view the collection.
Sometime later, Weckström received a message from the production team saying they had found the perfect jewelry for the scene in London. Even though he still didn't know which film it was, he probably felt pretty satisfied, as Lucas had reportedly appraised his jewelry as fantastic.
After that, there were no further communications from the production team, and Weckström wouldn't find out which of his pieces had made it into the film until later.
Apparently, he found out which film it was after a friend of his attended the first screening of Star Wars and saw his jewelry on Princess Leia in that final scene. Soon after, Weckström himself went to see the film—seeing his own designs in such a major movie must have been an unforgettable experience.
Even so, he couldn't shake the original design he had intended for the film and returned to its creation. This piece would eventually be known as the Poema necklace and was produced in limited quantities in the 1990s.
So, how do you get one of these stunning pieces for yourself?
It's actually pretty easy to get Princess Leia's Planetoid Valleys necklace and Darina's Bracelet—as long as you don't mind paying up for them, because they are still in production by Kalevala, the same Finnish company that made the set for the 1977 movie (they acquired Lapponia and continue the line).
Planetoid Valleys https://www.kalevalashop.com/products/planetoid-valleys-necklace
Darina's Bracelet https://www.kalevalashop.com/products/darinas-bracelet-silver
The Poema necklace, however, only had a limited run and is not currently in production. You may still be able to find it on resale sites sometimes, but I think it's pretty rare.
If the €3,200 and €895 price tags are a bit too steep for your taste, then you may be able to find a better price on sites like eBay for a pre-loved piece. Keep in mind that when these pieces originally went into production, it was under the brand name Lapponia, and they will have different markings than the newer Kalevala pieces.
You do have to be careful when looking for the Planetoid Valleys necklace because there is another similar necklace called Galactic Peaks that it could be mistaken for at a quick glance. While they both feature similar square panels, the clue to telling them apart is in their names. Princess Leia's Planetoid Valleys necklace has softer concave valley-like impressions. And the Galactic Peaks necklace has sharper ridges that jut out like mountain ranges.
And if you just want a replica for Halloween or a space party, I found a shop on Etsy that does a great job at 3D-printed replica pieces for a fraction of the cost.
Replica Planetoid Necklace https://mavely.app.link/x1ZbW5bVE0b
Replica Darina's Bracelet https://mavely.app.link/Xev435cVE0b
The Space Silver collection also has rings and earrings, some featuring cosmic names like Galactic Wind Earrings, the Shuttle ring, the Volans earrings, named after the flying fish constellation, and the Bridge to the Moon bracelet, which unfortunately seems to be out of stock at the moment.
If you happen to be in Finland, you can visit the Kalevala factory store in Helsinki, where you can buy new, used, and refurbished jewelry. You can also exchange your old Kalevala and Lapponia jewelry there for a Kalevala gift card or get yourself something from their secondhand collection. Sadly, this service is only offered at the factory store and not online. But if you're nearby, you might be able to find a rare piece.
But if you're just searching for that science fiction look in general, you can find some really amazing Modernist or Brutalist style pieces on eBay or Poshmark. I would search for Modernist if you want more sleek spaceship style vibes or I would search for Brutalist if you want like more molten moon rock looking jewelry.
And if you don't want pre-owned, then luxury jewelry designer Alexis Bittar has some really cool pieces.
Bittar's strong use of lucite echoes Weckström's boldly combined silver and acrylic jewelry. Here's a stunning example of it used by Weckström:
This is the Petrified Lake ring which gained fame in November of 1971 when Yoko Ono wore it while with John Lennon on the Dick Cavett show. The beautiful ring had been a gift from Lennon.
And here are some links to jewelry collections I've put together if you'd like some initial inspiration. Happy hunting! 🚀✨
Futuristic necklace collection Necklaces for Sale
Futuristic bracelet collection Bracelets for Sale
Futuristic ring collection Rings for Sale