Nauvoo Temple Pillar

The original Nauvoo Temple pilasters, constructed from limestone in 1844–1845 under Joseph Smith’s direction. These thirty imposing pillars lined the temple exterior, uniquely anchoring the design with a crescent moonstone at the base, rising to a sunstone capital, and crowned by a starstone to symbolize the full progression of celestial glory. After the Nauvoo Temple’s destruction by arson in 1848 and a tornado in 1850, the original pilasters were lost, though fragments of their bases and capitals were preserved by the Smithsonian Institution and other historical sites. This necklace honors that craftsmanship and the enduring legacy of early Latter-day Saint architecture.