Ensemble Marrakechi

Ensemble Marrakechi – An Exotic Secret, treasured.

Here’s a taster of my new collection. Stay tuned for me to add a new page onto my online portfolio. I hope you like it!

Sintering Samples

I am rather excited to have received my laser sintered titanium elements back! They are a little chunkier than I thought they might me and if I were to refine the design I would make the ruffles thinner and the holes in them larger, as on the smaller ruffle the detail is not as obvious. Other than that I think they are gorgeous and cannot wait to make them shine and anodise them! See my Couture Collection page to see how they will look when they are finished!

After playing around with the components I discovered another way that I could use them;

This has given me some food for thought – I might have to add some new pieces to my Couture Collection!

Love Louis Vuitton!

In preparation for my trip to Marrakech this coming week I have bought some magazines to keep me occupied on the plane! Ones that have really stood out are Elle and Elle Collections;

Elle, March Edition

Elle Collections, Spring Summer 2012 Edition

Both covers feature the on trend pastel hues, as well as lots of floral and lace imagery. I have a developing obsession with the new Louis Vuitton collection too, as seen on Alexa Chung, with laser cut style lace featuring heavily in it.

I also love the playful idea of have the carousel displaying all of the models during the show – I wonder if that is an idea I can play with for my jewellery? Watch this space!

Louis Vuitton Spring Collection show, Paris, 5th October 2011

Tantalising Titanium Fine Jewellery

Gone are the days when titanium simply meant body jewellery and men’s chunky rings, titanium is breaking into the fine jewellery market with companies such as Stephen Webster and Adler embracing this relatively new material.

Titanium has become a current interest at the moment as I am designing a fine jewellery collection which will be mainly made out of titanium. My Couture Collection features large pieces which are also wearable as titanium is such a light metal. It is the tensile strength of titanium that I wanted to explore and I believe this metal holds the key to the future of jewellery design, as it allows jewellery to be designed, made and worn on a much larger scale (and also be more colourful due to the fact you can anodise it), pushing the boundaries of what many believe fine jewellery should be.

The following pieces are particular favourites that I found in my research into titanium fine jewellery;

Tobacco Earrings by Tarditi

I love the colour of these earrings, the blue is so eye-catching. The diamonds are such a beautiful contrast to the titanium. The fact these earrings are made out of titanium also means that they will be very comfortable to wear as they will be so lightweight. “Titanium is difficult enough to work with, which makes this skill of his (Alain Tarditi) even more impressive.  It is no mean feat to unite precious metals with titanium. Hundreds of stunning diamonds come to embellish his creations, painstakingly added one by one by the skilful master. Nature is oftentimes his source of inspiration, and his style is moth romantic and decorative… to witness and to wear, Alain Tarditi’s creations are exceptional and expressive.” Tarditi Joaillier 

Pride Ring, Seven Deadly Sins Collection by Stephen Webster

I discovered this ring back in June, and it was actually a talk by Stephen Webster during London Jewellery Week 2011 that inspired me and made me realise I wanted to specialise in fine jewellery design, incorporating gem stones. The ring here is made of titanium, set with white diamonds, pink sapphires and and a large amethyst. The stones and design of the ring compliment each other perfectly.

Fiocco Brooch by Adler

This brooch is stunning, I love the delicate fabric nature of the titanium (believe it or not I actually discovered this piece having designed my Couture Collection) which is then set with 826 Wesselton diamonds, totalling 37.96 carats. Again, the fact this piece is in titanium makes it even more wearable as the piece, despite it’s size, will not pull on the wearer’s clothes.

Fashion Flowers

In preparation for a new collection, I decided to look at jewellery collections by fashion houses. A continuing theme that really captured my imagination were flowers, in all shapes and sizes. How had I not thought of flowers before? In every fashion collection I can think back to, floral patterns have been in vogue, so it makes sense that fine jewellery also uses the same design. Fine jewellery pieces become timeless as the image of the flower never dates.

I also became even more aware that fashion houses have associated themselves with certain flowers. For example the camellia flower this synonymous with Chanel, as the rose is with Dior. It was this ‘signature’ flower idea that appealed to me when I designed my Couture Collection.

Particular pieces that really stood out were;

Bal Bleu Nuit Ring by Dior

“The inspiration for the Bal des Roses collection was Christian Dior’s favourite flower, the rose. The collection features 12 pieces that evoke the image of women attending a ball in their most beautiful gowns. Each bears the name of a 1950s ballgown….This Bal Bleu Nuit ring, it is like a mysterious woman fleeing a ball and leaving behind a puff of fancy grey diamond powder…It has a deep and mysterious heart: a central sapphire in an intense blue gives the shimmering effect of a stormy sky. ” Victoire de Castellane Creative director, Dior Joaillerie.

Camélia Necklace by Chanel

“Like the lotus in Buddhism, the camellia expressed for Chanel a shape with infinite possibilities. And so she goes on, the way she saw and thought affecting the lives of millions unborn when she first discarded what was known and set out on an adventure into the future.” Linda Grant, Telegraph.

Tribal Ornament Neckpiece by Louis Vuitton

This piece is part of the collection  L’Ame du Voyage which means “The Soul of the Trip”. Though the piece, designed by Bäumer, refers to the bright colours the  Masai tribe wear, the piece is still timeless and instantly recognisable as Louis Vuitton, due to the repeated logo used throughout the neckpiece.

Welcome to my website!

Thank you for taking the time to have a look around my website. I hope to provide you with everything that is important to me as a fine jewellery designer by blogging about jewellery, art, fashion, trends, and everything that inspires me! Also, take a look at my design portfolio to see what designs have been keeping me busy!