A little something... ahead of the weekend!

I'm all a bit excited... off to Bestival tomorrow! As a result our flat is a bit of a mess; clothes, sleeping bags, wigs, wellies... So this little brooch (another gem by Marie Liddell) kind of says it all! K x

Wood 'Circus' brooch by Marie Liddell (aka Haberdash House), at Hannah Zakari. Image courtesy of Hannah Zakari

Theme: Acrylic Treats

Ever since I first discovered Tatty Devine back in the early 2000s, I've always had a bit of a thing for acrylic jewellery. The material's versatility makes it great for laser cutting even the most complicated of designs, while maintaining an air of affordability and novelty.

Of course, you can find acrylic jewellery just about anywhere now; Topshop, Claire's Accessories... It's hit the high street big time, no doubt due to its colourful, fast fashion malleability and the fact that, whether you're 15 or 35, you're bound to find something acrylic which appeals.

Down at @Work on Brick Lane, there's a great selection of quirky acrylic jewellery, featuring animals perhaps less obvious in jewellery design. Forget birds, bees and dogs - how about a camel or goat? Maybe even a whole circus... Jewellery graduate Marie Liddell's Haberdash House label is home to the beauties, below.

Black acrylic camel necklace on gold plated chain, by Marie Liddell. Image courtesy of @Work

Red acrylic circus necklace, by Marie Liddell. Image courtesy of Hannah Zakari

Online boutique Wolf and Moon also specialise in acrylic designs, this time a little more detailed and certainly aimed at a particular market. I have to thank my boss, Jos, for showing me Wolf and Moon's designs - I adore the chair, below, in a fresh peach acrylic. And who can resist their namesake wolf and moon brooch? Not me, or my boyfriend... and certainly not those hip young things wondering east London wearing something like this.

Peach acrylic chair necklace, by Wolf and Moon. Image courtesy of Wolf and Moon

Black wolf and silver moon brooch, by Wolf and Moon. Image courtesy of Wolf and Moon

 A quick glance at Tatty Devine reveals an exciting new AW collection, complete with mitten earrings, pierrot clowns (my favourite!) and mother-of-pearl button designs, inspired by London's Pearly Kings and Queens. Luckily Tatty Devine's ever-expanding 'Best of...' section contains all of the pieces synonymous with their style, from their earlier plectrum collection, right up last year's Lolita-inspired heart shaped sunglasses necklaces. Here are two classics...

Pink acrylic cat bangle, by Tatty Devine. Image courtesy of Tatty Devine

Gold dinosaur acrylic necklace, made from individual 'bones', by Tatty Devine. Image courtesy of Tatty Devine

Finally, because I've seen acrylic heart rings, faux diamond rings and farm animal rings (which are, I admit, cute), I can easily say Inca Starzinsky's designs are something else. I first found them in Magma Books' lifestyle and homeware shop in Covent Garden and every time I wander past, I find it  rather hard not to have a quick peek. Her pieces are inspired by the making of hand-shadow animals, and each ring box contains instructions to help you make them yourself. So fun!

Black acrylic hand-shadow animal rings, by Inca Starzinsky. Image courtesy of Magma Books

Designer: Daisy Knights

This is just a quick post - but I have to write about Daisy Knights, because I've totally fallen for her designs. Daisy, a young British jewellery designer who trained at Central St Martin's, creates organic yet playful jewellery, with themes including butterflies, skulls, bows and feathers.

Daisy Knights

 

Her collections are named after close family and friends, though her inspiration is drawn from her childhood home in Devon. Roaming beaches and countryside, picking up feathers and shells, Daisy has transformed these natural shapes into quirky jewellery, with a raw yet feminine twist. 

 Feather rings in silver and gold, by Daisy Knights. Image courtesy of Daisy Knights.com

The skull bracelets are the top of my wish list, while the studded rings (featured in the post, below) and bangles the perfect accessories for AW 09/10. It's especially good to see Daisy having a go at men's accessories, including cufflinks and the rare, yet essential shirt stud. What I love about her designs is that they're not over stylised or over technical, and as a result this girl has created something I've been waiting for, for a while.

Skull bracelets in silver and gold, with Amethyst and Ruby cabachon eyes, by Daisy Knights. Image courtesy of Daisy Knights.com

Silver and gold bow studs, by Daisy Knights. Image courtesy of Daisy Knights.com

Theme: Stacking rings

The idea of stacking jewellery - especially rings - is something I've wanted to write about for ages. It's been bubbling away for, so at last here it is!

Sterling silver and gold plate stud stack rings, by Daisy Knights. Image courtesy of Daisy Knights.com

For a while stack rings were hard to find; now - thank goodness - more and more designers are seeing the playful versatility of the stack design. The style is usually pretty uniform, but the results can vary greatly. Some are neat and simple, others quirky and bold.

I have a few stacking ring favourites. The first, Mirri Damer, is a recent discovery of mine. She makes fabulous rings in silver and 18ct white and yellow gold. Some are diamond-set which makes them the ideal alternative wedding and engagement rings.

18ct yellow gold and diamond stacking ring set, by Mirri Damer. Image courtesy of Mirri Damer

Sterling silver set of 5 stacking rings, with matt and polished finishes, by Mirri Damer. Image courtesy of Mirri Damer

The story of British jewellery designer Mary Otty is tainted with sadness, but is also a success. Mary and her husband left Bristol in 1999, emigrating to New Zealand where the two of them hand-made gorgeous stack rings in silver and gold, studded with gemstones and diamonds. Sadly, Mary passed away in 2004, but her husband continues to hand-made her striking, organic-feeling stack rings in their back garden workshop. You can find the rings stocked across the UK, in a never-ending array of stones and colourways.

18ct yellow gold triple stack ring, set with cabochon ruby and white diamond. Image courtesy of Mary Otty.com

Sterling silver 5 piece stack ring, set with amethyst and topaz. Image courtesy of Mary Otty.com

Sterling silver 7 piece stack ring, set with amber and citrine and amethyst. Image courtesy of Mary Otty.com

At the higher end of the scale is Niessing's range of gold and platinum rings. Renowned for their tension-set diamond rings, the German designer's rings always sit flush against one another, creating - though perhaps not intentional - a wonderful stacked feel. The Square Soft tension rings, below, are smooth square-shaped bands set with round brilliant cut diamonds. The diamond's colour matches the shanks material - yellow diamond in yellow gold, sherry diamond in rose gold, white diamond in white gold... One of each sounds about right!

Square Soft tension rings, in 18ct yellow and white gold, by Niessing. Image courtesy of Niessing

Designer: Lene Vibe

Lene Vibe in her Copenhagen workshop/boutique

Denmark's Lene Vibe is a Cophenhagen-based designer whose style has taken jewellery design and pushed it to new boundaries. Her pieces are like miniature items of art - mini sculptures perhaps - each handmade and incorporating a range of unusual details, from little gold snails creeping up the side of her rings, to recycled diamonds taken from pieces of 200-year-old jewellery.

18ct yellow and white gold ring, featuring a tiny angelic portrait, white diamonds, shells and slug

With silver and goldsmith training under renowned jewellery designer Georg Jensen, Lene's work has a quality found only in such handmade pieces. You can really see the love and time spent on her designs - Lene and just one assistant make all the pieces in their Copenhagen shop-come-workshop.

18ct yellow gold drop earrings, set with green citrine flat briolettes

Her designs are made from matt-finished 18ct yellow gold, and feature baroque pearls, diamonds and paler coloured gemstones. Her style has a unique edge rarely found in jewellery design nowadays; it's both organic and luxurious; quirky yet precious; detailed yet bold.

18ct yellow gold organic bangle, studded with diamonds, flowers and beasties

The influences behind Lene's designs are a heady mix; Renaissance decoration and portraiture and fairytale magical woodlands. This combination lends to the detail found in Lene's jewellery. Her rings feature tiny portraits, sprinkled with loose diamonds and encased in glass (think Chopard's Happy Diamonds gone organic), while her baroque pearl earrings blossom and bloom with floral decorations and the occasional insect or sea shell.

What Are You Wearing? 003: Elly 20.07.09

Elly is the darling of this month's What Are You Wearing? A good friend from home, Elly currently lives in Roehampton and is my fortnightly dinner date for a good food and good conversation.

I've watched her jewellery collection grow into a pretty selection of sentimental sterling silver pieces, which she wears day-to-day, often mixed with chandelier earrings and statement rings.

Elly has - for it seems as long as I've known her - worn an unsual square-shaped silver ring, a present from her stepdad. On her wrist she wear a classic silver Tiffany bracelet, an 18th birthday present from her Mum which, like the ring, she never takes off.

On her right hand she currently wears a ring from All Saints. This pretty statement ring has a starburst detail, and a vintaged look. Really something!

Around her neck Elly wears - much like myself and Holly from the previous What Are You Wearing? post - a name necklace. Elly's is sterling silver, and comes from a great store on eBay, based in Israel. I've shopped a few times with them, too, both for myself and for gifts for others - highly recommended, with great prices from £14

UK Jewellery Awards 2009: The Winners!

Well, it's finally come and gone! Thursday 16th of July saw the glitz and glamour of this year's UK Jewellery Awards at London's Grovesnor House Hotel.

The Awards - which are part-organised by Retail Jeweller magazine - were a close contest this year, with a high calibre of shortlisted entrants as blogged about here a few months back.

Model, part of the evening's catwalk entertainment, wearing Missoma. Image courtesy of ukjewelleryawards.co.uk

I have to say that although the Awards are tailored to the mainstream jewellery market, this year's winners are thoroughly deserving of their awards, especially Monica Vinader and Missoma, who have really gone from strength-to-strength during 2008-9.

So, the winners of the main categories are as follows...

Best Catwalk Jewels of the Year - Kirt Holmes

Kirt Holmes, holding her Award, with the host Nick Ede (left), and Nadja Swarovski (in skirt suit). Image courtesy of ukjewelleryawards.co.uk

Independent Retailer of the Year - Nicholas James, Hatton Garden

Jewellery Brand of the Year - Monica Vinader

Retail Employer of the Year - Beaverbrooks (various UK locations)

Young Designer of the Year - Bobby White

Jewellery Website of the Year - Missoma.com

and finally, the big one..!

Jewellery Designer of the Year - Shaun Leane (his hatrick!)

Shaun Leane (centre), with Nick Ede and Frances Murch of Retail Jeweller magazine (in purple). Image courtesy of ukjewelleryawards.co.uk

Congratulations to the other finalists, including Kabiri, Alex Monroe and Astley Clarke. The level of both design and branding of the entrants this year was so high, it was quite a tough one to call, with (for some I'm sure), some surprising winners. Nevertheless, the awards demonstrate how much talent there is in UK jewellery design and retail right now. Who knows, maybe next year they'll have to throw in a few more categories, for good measure!