A little something: Lego Man Necklace

Oh to be six again! Spending many, many afternoons building Lego castles/houses/stables those little bricks are ingrained in my memory. Digging into the Lego box for a 'two-er' or a 'one-er' to fill those little gaps in the walls, and - most importantly of all - inhabiting the real estate I'd crafted with lego men, so it wasn't just a building with little green-shuttered windows and a yellow front door.

That's why I'm loving Swank's Lego men necklaces. Not sure what or who the chap below is meant to be (boyf says Michael Schumacher perhaps??), but he's wearing a red leather jacket, fetching helmet and aviators; as far as Lego men go, I don't think you don't get much cooler...

Red Lego Man necklace, by Swank at Hannah Zakari. Image courtesy of hannahzakari.co.uk

A little something: Tatty Devine Magpie Rings

From the first time I saw them, I've loved Tatty Devine's Magpie rings. So when I was handed a little black and silver box on my birthday last week, I was super pleased it was them! At last, my own pair of the pretty black Magpie rings, picked up from their Brick Lane shop.

Black Magpie rings

My favourite bird is the Magpie, the Pica Pica, elegant blue-green and black, deft, inquisitive and sociable. Superstition suggests it's unlucky to see a single Magpie, and I love that Rosie and Harriet at Tatty Devine have whimsically picked up this. Anyway, why wear one ring, when you can have two?!

An alternative knuckle duster??

As new additions to the jewellery box, there could be some rivalry between the birds and their fellow Tatty Devine Cat ring... So I've ensured the red Heart ring stays somewhere in the middle!

White acrylic Cat ring, red acrylic Heart ring and pair of black Magpie rings, all by Tatty Devine

Theme: Spikes and Studs

Oh dear... My obsession with spikes and studs is reaching a whole new level. Only last week was I sat watching Gossip Girl, pressing gold-tone studs into an old tshirt in the hope of making it look somehow cool. Such frivolous attempts aside, while not watching Gossip Girl I seem to find myself searching online for spiky, studded jewellery. The good news is the jewellery is coming in all shapes and styles, from quirky, raw-edged earrings and bangles, to the brightly coloured regal-inspired acrylic bangles by one of my favourite up-and-coming designers, Nicholas King - a definite one to watch for 2010...

The spiked wheel Muriel earrings by Joanna Cave, below, are a personal favourite of mine. Joanna was kind enough to recently make me a pair of these on a smaller hoop earring (a treat to self, plus I'm a big fan of hers). I'm love the way the little pearls add just that touch of softness.

Silver, oxidised and pearl hoop spiked wheel earrings, by Joanna Cave at EC One

  

Gold plated silver 'Samurai' necklace, based on the Samurai sword, by EC One

On the more uniform stud scale are the pyramid bangles by Daisy Knights, a fabulous jewellery designer who I wrote about on here not long ago. I'm still enjoying her designs, and with my birthday next week am definitely looking forward to adding something of hers to my jewellery box..! Daisy manages to keep things feminine yet tough; a little bit raw but with a lot of love involved in the making.

 

Silver and gold plated silver studded 'Molly' bangles, by Daisy Knights

 

Sterling silver pyramid stud earring, by Alex & Chloe at Kabiri

Though I've mostly known William Cheshire's men's collection, amidst his repertoire are  pieces that us ladies can get our hands on. His new Lightening and Electricity collections play with the lightening bolt shape, refining the look to tough-luxe. His highly polished finishes and use of diamonds and chunky uncut stones demonstrate William's skill as a leading British jewellery designer , who's worked with Stephen Einhorn and Paul Smith.

 

Gold plated 'Lightening' stud earrings, by William Cheshire

A somewhat more playful take on studs and spikes can be seen in the work of Wendy Pickard (The Branch) and Nicholas King. Their ever-growing stockist lists means that their jewellery is accessible, on-trend and ever more in the public eye. Nicholas King is especially worth keeping an eye on; with time spent at DKNY and Alexis Bittar, he certainly knows the market and certainly knows what works. Check out his amazing sequin bangles here.

 

Rosewood ring, studded with gold plated silver round studs, by The Branch

 

Multi-coloured acrylic 'Crown' spikey bangles, by Nicholas King

New Designer: Aroha Silhouettes

I stumbled across Aroha Silhouettes earlier this week, as my eyes devoured the yummy bits and bobs on Not Couture (or NotCot, as it's also known). I did a double take at a pair of unusual earrings, which, interestingly, I now understand is the aim of Aroha's jewellery. It makes you stop, look and go 'oh, I see', because cleverly Aroha have taken those optical illusions that had us baffled and cross-eyed as kids, and turned them into minimal, graphic jewellery designs.

'Confined' optical illusion steel earrings, by Aroha Silhouettes. Photo courtesy of arohasilhouettes.com

Aroha appears to be a one-woman jewellery venture - a 26-year-old known as Tania, based in Vancouver. Her own blog explains she's been in business for just over a year, yet Aroha seems to be gathering strength already, with an Etsy shop and a host of other retailers. But let's stick with what's important - the jewellery.

Tania's designs are made from recycled vinyl records and steel, both of which I'd imagine are laser-cut. The results are 2D designs which appear 3D. Optical illusions become accessories, channelling a magical, myserious vibe, not to mention one's inner geek. Her design repertoire is already sufficient - it also includes stacks of books and prism-like cubes - but there's definitely plenty more for Tania to play with... I'll be sure to keep an eye on what comes up next!

'Succession' vinyl necklace, by Aroha Silhouettes. Photo courtesy of arohasilhouettes.com

'Succession' necklace, as above. Photo courtesy of arohasilhouettes.com

'Conform' vinyl necklace, by Aroha Silhouettes. Photo courtesy of arohasilhouettes.com

'Bermuda' optical illusion steel earrings, by Aroha Silhouettes. Photo courtesy of arohasilhouettes.com

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