Victoria Kelsey - Precious Grime

Jewellery inspired by old or broken things is most definitely 'in vogue' - edge and interest created by turning something discarded into something beautiful.

But pieces inspired by the actual dirt and dust that covers these things? That's a a pretty unusual inspiration. So when her lookbook landed in my inbox this week, I was interested to see just how Victoria Kelsey had made filth and grime 'precious'.

In exaggerating the effect and concept of dust, Kelsey's turned her less-than-salubrious inspiration material into something soft and symbolic - tactile, polished growths of metal creeping over fingers, stones, even sunglasses.

Kelsey's range contains jewellery of all scales and price points, and while the concept translates neatly in pieces of all sizes, my favourites are those of a larger scale - such as the Imogen Belfield-esque knuckle dusters and the wonderfully inventive eyewear. 

The sense of dust and grime growing and overtaking is palpable, but from a distance the effect is an ornate, almost baroque, aesthetic - a 'double-take' effect I love.

You can find Victoria Kelsey's work (and more fabulous photos of her graduate collection) here - www.victoriakelsey.co.uk.

Basel 2013 - The Stands

With a glossy new exhibition space to fill, many brands had gone all out on the design of their stands this year  -  refreshing the spaces seen in previous years and introducing innovative detail to already impressive scale.

Dominating their hall was the twinkling, Tokujin Yoshioka-designed Swarovski stand, tiny LED lights flashing amongst the faceted silver walls. 

However the favourite had to be Citizen's efforts, their stand inviting and almost magical amongst a golden curtain of 50,000 watch parts;

(Click to enlarge all images. Also see here  - if you can get past Google translate - for further reading...)

Basel 2013 - Nikos Koulis

In amongst the eye-popping watch stands and halls crammed with product, the Basel show always yields some singular stand-outs; an incredible piece, an intriguing new stone cut, or a fabulous designer hitherto unexplored.

The latter for me this year was Nikos Koulis - a Greek fine jeweller creating stunning pieces clearly inspired by the aesthetics and legends of Greek cultural heritage, but infused with an often dark and modern twist.

Always highly polished, textural contrast is given to the pieces with diamonds; twisting around sweeping knife-edged profiles and breaking up swathes of perfectly polished metal. The cuff above is absolutely beautiful in 'real life' - those strips of baguette cut diamonds striking and sleek between the softly-profiled wings.

Fantasy Payday - Jack Vartanian

However often I think I should really shake things up, my default - and favourite - wardrobe choices are almost always a pretty lazy head-to-toe black. 

But then, when you can top off a straightforward outfit with a pair of quietly stunning earrings like these, why would you bother?...

Spring Fair 2013 - New Designer

This week saw the Jewellery Show return to Birmingham's Spring Fair, and although it seemed particularly quiet when I dropped by, the show offered enough newness in designers, collections and pieces to keep my visit exciting.

My first 'find' of the show was a designer straight from an MA, whose collection so appealed to my taste that the moment I returned back to the office my colleague predicted "I know whose work you'll have liked - Anna Byers". And right she was.

Deco and architectural inspirations have been given a geometric twist, the generously sized motifs accented with dripping ombre chains and tassels. I was particularly taken by the two and three colour pieces - the black and gold (above) being my favourite, of course...

New Collection - Jane Gowans 'Captain'

Popping into my inbox this week is a collection that is right up my street - both aesthetically and because it has a great story.

Sparked by a photograph of her grandfather in Navel uniform, Jane Gowans has explored and transformed her maritime inspiration into something unique - combining the classic twisted rope motif with faceted compass point-inspired forms which add contrast and edge to the collection.

I absolutely love the statement-making Fathom ring (above), but am just as taken by the smaller, everyday pieces such as the studs (first picture); small and sweet from the front, but revealing a not insubstantial spike from the side...

Striking Silver: Diamonds in Black...

Sometimes you want to wear jewellery that is small and simple but still has an impact. Black jewellery is my current favourite way to achieve this - striking against the skin and still relatively unusual, blackening the metal achieves an arresting look without requiring generous size or outlandish design.

These delicate, oxidised silver Meredith Marks pieces, therefore, are just perfect as everyday adornment. I love diamonds set into silver, and the combination seems to be something US designers are particularly comfortable with, popping up as it does with casual frequency in collections 'across the pond'. The blackened silver subdues the diamond's sparkle into something more subtle, and - to my mind at least - far more interesting.