Mizuki

Ah, this is my kind of fine jewellery - interesting motifs, rose cut diamonds and plenty of rhodium plated and textured yellow gold.

My favourite pieces in Mizuki's expansive collection are the tiny little rings and pendants that could be worn everyday, forever. There's nothing 'classic' or boring about these pieces, but I just can't imagine ever tiring of them;

I do love an evil eye anyway, but this stylised version in 18ct gold and diamonds - luxe yet still completely wearable - is just perfect.

Photos copyright www.ylang23.com, www.twistonline.com, www.mizukijewelry.com

Autumn in the Air

There's definately a sense of autumn in the air at the moment, and I'm drawn to the almost mayoral-like chain of this seasonal Aurelie Bidermann necklace...

This lovely piece would be a more statement alternative to an acorn charm necklace, I think, although I can't quite decide if the paperclip clasp is a perfectly witty design flourish or looks like an impromptu repair...

www.net-a-porter.com

Fantasy Payday

Today, I am dreaming of the perfect jewels to accessorise my 'hen night dress', if only my salary was more designer than designer's...

My dress is a 1950s tiered lace shift from my very favourite non-jewellery shop - Cloud Cuckoo Land in Islington. My first choice of adornment is without question these incredible gold Topall earrings in emeralds, diamonds and black rhodium:

I'd pick out the gorgeous, saturated colour of the stones by carrying a silk vintage bag in emerald green (the like of which I am still regretting not buying in a Covet Garden vintage shop last month!), and echo the gold and vintage-styling with this simple but utterly lovely Lindsay Pearson Star Coin ring:

Finally, I'd tie in the rhodium and gold colour schemes by throwing on a couple Carolina Bucci bracelets - the super-slim Sparkle bangle and the black gold Disco Ball bracelet:

If only the above didn't cost more than my wedding, I think I'd have an outfit....

Photographs and pieces copyright: Topall at www.annouska.com, Lindsay Pearson at www.econe.co.uk, Carolina Bucci at www.astleyclarke.com

Modern Vintage

A couple of weekends ago I took myself off to Covent Garden to try on a ring I hoped was to become rather special. Thanks to the lovely girls at Kabiri who had couriered over the ring for me, I now have an absolutely gorgeous Megan Thorne signature band, waiting to become my wedding ring in a few weeks time...


I really love Megan’s work – beautiful, almost antique like patterns combined with very modern textures and shapes. My own taste in jewellery happily swings between fiddly, decorative vintage and spiky modern forms, and these pieces manage to satisfy both aesthetic extremes in one fell swoop.




My favourite piece (second to my wedding ring, naturally) is absolutely the rose-cut sapphire ring. The combination of the incredible blue sapphire with the warm, matte gold is stunning, I would wear this every single day for the rest of my life and I just know I’d love it that entire time. Rose cut stones set in rub over settings are very 'in', and very prolific, so the extra detail lifts this ring into something really special, just ornate enough to feel pretty and decadent.



If I could, I would certainly invest in more of Megan's work - I see them being the most beautiful future heirlooms, unquestionably of 'now' but utterly lasting.

Pictures & Pieces Copyright Megan Thorne at www.kabiri.co.uk

In Raptures

Clicking through to the 'New In' section of Astley Clarke this morning, I noticed some pieces I recognised - Stephen Webster has finally come to the site!

What especially caught my eye was this gorgeous Rapture ring. The design is smooth and sleek, with the trademark Webster gothic touch in the thorn detail on the vertical face of the ring. Best of all, the ring is inspired by Oscar Wilde's sublime and tragic 'The Nightingale and The Rose'. As an English Lit graduate and devourer of books, I do love a literary reference in jewellery design...




The ring is intended to be stacked, but I've been imagining all day how just a single ring would add an unexpected something to a simple outfit, flashing just a glipse of the main design detail as you move your hand.


The reference to Wilde's story is even more poigantly executed in the matching earrings, ruby set to echo the nightingale's sacrifice.



You don't need to know Wilde to enjoy these pieces, but they're brought to life in the poetry that inspired them. I really like this beautifully simple interpretation of the theme - clever references, clever design.

Pictures and Pieces Copyright Stephen Webster at www.astleyclarke.com

Leather Jacket Jewellery

Sometimes, you just need to rough-up a pretty outfit by slinging a leather jacket on top, and there's nothing I like better than doing the same with jewellery. From edgy pendants you can layer on top of a sweet t-shirt to a cuff that makes you feel just a little bit fearless, here's my 'leather jacket jewellery' wardrobe of choice...

1. Pretty much all of Lady Grey's jewellery deserves a 'leather jacket' award, but these oxidised silver pendants in particular would just be an effortless way to add a little edge to an everyday outfit:

2. A fabulous knuckle-duster like Annouska's Porcupine creation not only packs a punch aesthetically, but kind of makes you feel like you'd be a little safer in a dark alley too...


3. This Links of London cuff actually comes to a spike - I think it qualifies as genuinely dangerous. I've had the ring from this range for a while but I really think my autumn wardrobe could do with an architectural update:
4. Finally, the spiky simplicity of these Elyse Jacobs Poison studs. When was the last time you saw a four claw diamond ear stud look quite this fierce??
Images & Jewellery Copyright www.ladygreyjewelry.com, www.kabiri.co.uk, www.linksoflondon.com, www.annoushka-jewellery.com

Polished

This month's Vogue showcases the best polishes for perfecting the new neutral nail for autumn, from Chanel's warm beige Jade Rose to a pale, groomed Topshop shade.

Whatever your colour choice, if you’re going to be rocking a mannequin-manicure next season, I’ve picked my choice of rings I think will complement the look – one for a Chanel-worthy budget, the other more purse friendly...

1. Pairing nude nails with a just-right shade of peachy rose quartz creates a sleek and polished look. Carla Amorim’s urchin-like Peninsula is my first choice but, failing to find a spare £3000 down the back of the sofa, I’m more than happy to settle for the pretty rose-cut charms of this AC Colour Symphony ring.



2. Like a scarlet lip on a nude face, a fabulous red stone would add real impact to this trend. Will it be Megan Thorne’s ornate garnet or an overdraft friendly Carnelian?


3. Finally, I can’t think of a more stunning accompaniment to naked nails than a tiny stripe of glittering diamonds on flesh-tone rose gold. There’s no cheap alternative to this Jessica Robinson Infinity ring I’m afraid, nothing else is quite as good...

Photos Copyright www.astleyclarke.co.uk and www.kabiri.co.uk

Time to Shine

I can’t think of a better time to re-launch my blog - I’ve have just returned from IJL with a head full of trends, a pocket full of stones and a select wish list of pieces I genuinely plan on making my own.



One of the first stands to draw me in was that of Yuki Mitsuyasu. From the same Central St Martins year as Hannah Martin, her work is simultaneously strong and delicate, and joyfully playful. The forms of her pieces are just gorgeous, but it is the absolute ingenuity of her pieces that merits this post, with inventive and considered clasps being a seamless and integral part of every design.
Mitsuyasu’s pieces include necklaces fastened to any length you like by wrapping chain around a sculptural bow, ball-chain earrings personalised by hooking up or even cutting the lengths and an origami-like heart pendant that almost requires puzzle-solving to interlock the embracing halves.


My favourite range has to be ‘Shine’, already recognised with an IJL’s Best New Product award. The concept was inspired by a quote from the designer’s father and features two heart shaped pieces, representing lovers, coming together to form a star; “brighter [together] than apart”’. As with all her work, the design feature is also the closure - the magnetised interlocking halves snapping together invisibly as both the pendant and clasp. Mitsuyasa’s merging of aesthetic and functional design creates sleek pieces that beg to be touched and explored, but her designs remain edgy and sculptural enough to still feel like grown-up, fashionable jewellery.

On a ‘personal bugbear’ note, her beautifully crisp website really is a joy to visit. So many flash sites (and I include most of the jewellery houses in this damning conclusion) are frustratingly over-worked and can feel impossible to navigate, but here fabulous photographic and line-drawing animations demonstrate simply her incredibly clever interlocking and closure techniques and striking style.

All images Copyright Yuki Miitsuyasu, from http://www.yukimitsuyasu.com/