Across the globe, the universal fairy tale of the frog prince always ends with a kiss. Once upon a time, however, there was no kiss. In a Scottish tale that predates Shakespeare, the girl breaks the spell by cutting off the frog’s head. In a German version, the princess throws the frog against the wall. In other versions, the spell is broken when the frog’s skin is burned. Violence, rather than kissing, seems to have turned the frog into a prince back in the day. The kiss ending we are accustomed to is in fact a modern invention from the written version by the Brothers Grimm, who also popularised Cinderella.

MARIA KOVADI KISS ME PENDANT

18kt gold, with diamond and micromosaic

It is precisely this juxtaposition of modern narratives and old folk tales that makes Maria Kovadi’s collection created exclusively for Baselworld quite playful. A yellow gold lady frog goddess stretches out seductively on micro-mosaic lips.

MARIA KOVADI PRECIOUS POND RING & EARRINGS

18kt gold, chalcedony, sapphires, yellow diamonds and tsavorites (ring)

In fact, Russian versions tell of a frog princess instead of a prince, who usually marries the youngest son. KISS ME, the collection is called. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a handsome prince, women say jokingly. What if women just want the frog, not the prince? Maria Kovadi’s answer is a playful one again: earrings where frogs carry the heavy weight of an entire pond and a very eager frog prince in the pond, waiting in the shape of a ring. PRECIOUS POND the collection is called.

LES INDOMPTABLES DE CARTIER FROG WATCH & BROOCH

Gold, diamonds, emeralds, moonstones and sapphires

While on the subject of frogs and ponds, the Frog Watch by Cartier launched in 2013 comes to mind. It featured a miniature frog sat on a lily pad, a contour scene easily detached and worn as a brooch. The question remains: Do you want to kiss these frogs or not? I leave you to ponder with Kovadi’s KISS MY LIPS necklace featuring a carved coral frog with synthetic rubies in the lips. There is a single natural ruby - in the heart, of course. You may kiss my lips, Kovadi says, but it’s the heart that matters.

MARIA KOVADI KISS MY LIPS

Coral, 18 kt gold, silver, synthetic rubies, natural ruby, sapphires, and cold enamel