When one is surrounded by such a plethora of jewels, it is sometimes hard to choose those pieces that move into the realm of outstanding. That said, different pieces provoke unique reactions and their raison d’etre might mean that I appreciate them differently. These ten pieces deserve to be on my list for their iconic status, forward-thinking trend focus and intrinsic design integrity and beauty.
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| Dolce and Gabbana A/W 2010 | Purse pendant by Mawi | Lady Gaga in Paris December 2010 |
Take Mawi’s purse pendant, featured on Adorn London alongside images of the Dolce & Gabbana A/W 2010 catwalk in our ‘Trend Spot’ feature. It was the idea that Mawi had embraced the mesh purse concept and transformed what she saw into a piece of jewellery inspired by her vintage collection, that caught my eye at the beginning of the season. No surprise then that Lady Gaga was recently ‘papped’ in Paris wearing a vintage mesh purse slung across her body, as Mawi’s collections are always spot on trend – what I see in the brand’s seasonal showcase is reflected on the catwalk, just with a ‘costume luxe’ attitude.
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| Tomasz Donocik ‘Chesterfield’ cuff | Stephen Webster’s ‘Sloth’ ring |
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| Pyrite brooch by Marni |
Tomasz Donocik’s Chesterfield cuff and Stephen Webster’s ‘Seven Deadly Sins’, Sloth ring are collectors’ pieces and exist as true icons of 2010; in stark contrast to the Marni brooch – a radiant colour pop that reminds us of the relevance of sultry scarlet in our wardrobe this season.
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| Wendy Yue’s ‘Fantasie Forest’ ring in collaboration with Annoushka | ‘Bouchons de Carafe’ by Elie Top |
Wendy Yue’s collaboration with Annoushka symbolises an exciting breakaway partnership bringing ‘Haute’ to the discerning consumer not only on Rue St Honoré. Annoushka’s passion, like ours, is to communicate the essentials of a jewellery wardrobe; and her newly launched, eponymous jewellery label reflects just that.
Who can forget the sell-out ‘Lanvin loves H&M’ collection that hit our stores in November? Alber Elbaz’s successful collaboration and playful charm were evident in the collection that was so desirable, it had sold out by noon on launch day. Baccarat knew what they were doing when they employed Elie Top to merge Lanvin-esque wit and humour with style and sophistication that resulted in ‘Bouchons de Carafe’ – a collection of decanter top beauties.
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| Ivory resin bangle by Shaun Leane | Knuckleduster ring by Katie Rowland |
Shaun Leane and Katie Rowland have made edgy jewellery cool, wearable and accessible. Both talents have bought an exciting new dimension to fine jewellery by injecting a fashion edge into their bespoke collections and making both metals such as silver and plating aspirational. Their catwalk collaborations form an exciting backdrop to their commercial collections and seductively blur the boundaries between fashion and jewellery that is, well, ready-to-wear.
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| ‘Random’ necklace by Solange Azagury-Partridge |
And then there is Solange, whose jewellery designs are jaw-droppingly beautiful, whether around the neck of SJP as seen on screen and therefore on the hit list of one of Hollywood’s most influential stylists, then worn by a stirling clientele; or dazzling in the star casings in her London flagship store.
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| ‘Black’ lace cuff by Aurélie Bidermann |
One of my favourite weeks on Adorn London was ‘Lashings of Lace’ inspired by Christopher Kane, and with this in mind, the Aurelie Bidermann lace cuff earns its place on the star-studded podium.
So, all you jewelled specimens of great intrinsic beauty and worth, take a bow…
