Tags
Celia Brown, Chelsea, Chupi, Chupi Sweetman-Pell, Fenwick, Mirabelle, saatch, Scoop International London, Xtra, Xtra Start Jewlery
After hunger and thirst, and the need to keep you warm comes the need to embellish your neck, ears, fingers.It is not by chance that, whenever you visit a national museum in the antiquity section, you will always find a piece of jewelry next to the knife and thw bowl.
From diamonds to plastic beads you buy on the beach, jewelry never fails to fascinate me. I might not buy them, but I always look at them. A few years ago I toyed with the idea of getting more involved in this sector, took a weekend course, invested in a box of beads and few tools. I was used to finding making necklaces, bracelets and earrings relaxing. Predominantly for self- consumption and taking inspirations from the likes of Marni, Lanvin or Brunello Cucinelli, I managed to sell few through a boutique, gave some to my friends as a gift and mostly I was wearing them. Every time I was wearing one of my pieces I was receiving attention, if not positive feedback. But getting people from liking to buying them was another story. Not only I wasn’t the most gifted maker, but also none of mine designs were originals, so the idea of making a little independent business out of it didn’t make any sense. Then I started looking around and realized that there are a few very gifted and brilliant jewelry designers out there. Here I have enclosed a selection of my favourite, whose future is – no doubt – shining. All spotted at Scoop Internation Fashion Show London.
Chupi is an Irish designer, making gorgeous delicate gold jewelry inspired by the beauty of natural and wild things. Acorns, swan feathers, tiny twigs catch the eye of Chupi Sweetman-Pell and she turns them into beautiful pieces of jewelry by casting ‘the already perfect forms of wild and natural things’. Irresistibly drawn to ‘wild and natural things’ she began making jewellery by casting found items including swan feathers, tiny twigs and acorns and found there was a real market for these pieces. Having met her at the fashion fair Scoop London, I was enchanted by her positivity and enthusiasm: “My jewellery is made for your inner magpie, delicate pieces in sparkling gold and silver with the shiniest semi-precious gems. Each piece is handmade with love.”
If colored gemstones are your things, XSJ will make you feel like a kid in a candy store. I am a fun of colored stones, especially if set in contemporary design. XSJ offer a lot or ranges, different styles that share one characteristic: each stone is handpicked, which guarantees a high level of quality and is as close to perfection as it can get.
I remember spotting these pieces a year ago and longing for them. The only trouble is there too many pieces I like, starting with the Aurora collection, where it is all about Rose Quartz and two shades of Smoky Quartz, followed by Carry me, that reminds me a lot the iconic Pomellato piece at a fraction of the price, and to finish with the Full Bloom collection, where rings can also be worn stacked together.
Mirabelle’ s pieces cached my attention on a rainy day when I found shelter in the V&A and spotted some quirky and surprisingly wearable little pieces. I then discovered that the designer behind Mirabelle is Veronique Henry. Working from her North London studio, she draws inspiration from different cultures from across the globe, favoring the East, creating simple, beautiful, fair trade pieces by hand.
The brand has gone far since the day I discovered it, having caught the attention of some major stockists, and it is now available at Fenwick’s Bond Street, and Anthropology.
Célia Brown is a Swiss born designer living in Geneva. Her experiences in India generated the aesthetic essence of her collection, reflecting this complex and multifaceted country. Her pieces are best when combined, in my opinion, creating unique shapes to letting originality speak. Using the words of the designer Celia: «The first idea was to recreate a little totem, simple, efficient and graphic, with a nice color scheme”.
The brands mentioned in my blog are my personal preference and are not PR driven.
