The icon is designed as a hypothetically producible piece of jewelry, except that the corners — those tiny semi-spheres that hold the gems — are a bit larger to accommodate the icon's scale. The piece has a partially open back to allow for more light to reach the gems. That makes them look prettier both in renders and irl.
Front view, back view
The model was created in Rhino and later welded and polished in ZBrush to make it appear closer to how it would look in real life.
zBrush smoothing
I just saw this magazine in "random magazines" so I don't really have an insider's ability to appreciate it, but as an outsider to this craft, WOW!!!!!! this is so cool! I love it so much!
Thanks! :)