Theme: Autumnal Jewellery

Following a blustery old week (walking home Sunday morning in pouring rain after Hallow'een being a highlight) the leaves on the trees are now leaves on the ground, squidgy and slippery but perfect for the squirrels in Bethnal Green Gardens who appear to take great pleasure in high speed foraging under, below and through great piles of leaves. Anyhow, while I put my Autumnwatch-obsessed self to one side, I've been on the hunt for some Autumn themed jewellery. Here are a few choice pieces...

 

Sterling silver Acorn pendant, by Laura Tabor. Image courtesy of lauratabor.com

 

Sterling silver fallen Maple Leaf necklace, by Alex Monroe. Exclusively at EC One

 

Gold plated brass Jay earrings, with blue chalcedony stones, by David Aubrey. Image courtesy of davidaubrey.com

Cheeky glitter Fox pendant, by Lady Luck Rules OK, image courtesy of LadyLuckRulesOk.com

A little something: Fiona Paxton's Trixy Cuff

Well it's the weekend (mine officially starts at 6pm tonight, following work), which means it's time to get some statement jewellery out! It's Hallow'een too, and my ideas of what to wear tonight (a night in Dalston) is a mish-mash of Cruella-meets-Morticia-meets-Bright Young Thing. My flapper dress might get an airing, but for those who are thinking of doing something a little more Rocky Horror, this Fiona Paxton Trixy cuff is a must. Love love love it. Perfect for jeans and breton stripes as much as biker boots and a mini dress.

Trixy cuff by Fiona Paxton, shown here in the gold colourway

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

Designers: Missoma

Tomorrow Missoma will launch their new Elements collection - a playful charm based range which allows you to mix and match their designs to create a unique piece of your own. It really is about time I wrote about Missoma, because being based in London where there's a never ending supply of amazing jewellery talent, the Missoma girls are certainly standing proud. Their hard work is admirable and designs inimitable, so let me tell you more.

Michelle, Sophie and Marisa - the three designers behind Missoma

Missoma, a quirky yet memorable name, is a rather intriguing mix of its three designers' first names: Michele and her two daughters Marisa and Sophie. Together they design different ranges, each testament to their own styles - some are classic, others edgy and the most recent - Thorn and Shaka - very much fashion-led.

Multi-stone Shaka cuff, by Missoma. Image courtesy of Missoma.com

 

Shaka spike stud rings, set with (clockwise from top) rutillated quartz, rock crystal, chrysophrase and lapis lazuli. Image courtesy of Missoma.com 

The main themes in Missoma's designs are the use of gold vermeil (gold plating on a sterling silver base), and brightly coloured gemstones; everything from lapis lazuli and labradorite, to stunning green chrysophrase and deep red coral.

Hot Rox small hoop earrings, set with tourmaline, garnet and amethyst, by Missoma. Image courtesy of Missoma.com 

Hot Rox stacking rings, shown here (top to bottom) in chrysophrase, amethyst, citrine and blue chalcedony, all by Missoma. Image courtesy of Missoma.com 

Describing their designs as 'statement wherever you go', the girls are influenced by their travels to India, Morocco and Thailand and as a result their pieces are often feminine with a twist - Grecian cuffs complement art-deco style charms; rings have unusual claw settings while the necklaces are long and perfect for layering.

Stella long pendant necklace, with faceted amethyst. Image courtesy of Missoma.com

 

Long multi-stone, multi-charm Hot Rox necklace, by Missoma. Image courtesy of Missoma.com

With over 10 different collections they really do have something for any age, taste and style. I particularly love these earrings, below, from their recently launched Shaka collection, perfect with an LBD and vintage leather jacket!

Shaka spike hoop earring, by Missoma. Image courtesy of Missoma.com

A little something... Stephen Webster Mosquito Ring

So tomorrow - apparently - will see the launch of a limited edition mosquito ring by cult British jewellery designer Stephen Webster. Though he is making an impressive white gold, ruby and black diamond version (below), a silver replica will be available on asos.com, meaning all of us jewellery lovers can have a slice of the action. The silver version is likely to sell out within hours; it's £50 price tag makes it a hundreth of the price of a typical Webster Crystal Haze ring, most of which retail up to £5,500.

18ct black rhodium plated white gold Mosquito ring, set with cabachon rubies and black and white diamonds. 

By Stephen Webster, for Malaria No More UK.
 

Of course, beyond its recession-busting price tag, there's an important message here. Proceeds from the asos.com rings go towards Malaria No More UK, a charity dedicated to protecting African children from Malaria. Each £50 sale buys 10 mosquito nets - enough to protect 20 children for five years.

Black rhodium plated silver ring, set with red and white crystals. 

By Stephen Webster for Malaria No More UK, at asos.com

My love/hate relationship with Webster and his various designs means that this little venture has put him in my good books for the next few weeks. Which is good, as I'm involved in a launch party for his silver Jewels Verne collection at the end of October - something I am in fact rather excited about!

A little something... Ed Banger Records necklace

So it's my birthday soon, and the one thing I've wanted for a looooonnng time is a SebastiAn tshirt, because he's quite possibly my favourite artist on French electro record label Ed Banger. Of course, on the official Ed Banger merch site - Cool Cats - they're continually sold out... So imagine my excitement when I spotted a 30" sterling silver chain, complete with Ed Banger shield pendant? Yeah, it was pretty astronomical.

But it was sold out, natch.

Sterling silver Ed Banger Records shield necklace, exclusively sold through Coolcats.fr. As modelled on a certain Pedro Winter. Props.