Guest editor: Nina May

Nina May is the founder of gorgeous online boutique ninaandlola.com. Because we love all the beautiful pieces she sells, we figured she must have pretty good taste (like us), and asked her to select a couple of pieces for The Cut...

(Nina May) : "And so to The Cut’s and my good friend Hannah Martin. Attracted to the dark side with all its underworld and grimy rock venue glory, the one-time Cello-playing maverick of the London jewellery scene chose the smallest possible niche for her label: High-end jewellery for men with a rock n’ roll edge. Her saving grace has been the calculated appeal to women, who happily steal their boyfriend’s necklaces – or just order it for themselves for a sublime knock-em-out piece of jewellery.

My favourite ring has already been featured on this blog – the Stud ring with the rubies inside:
Wearing the stones against your skin induces a distinct kind of smugness, a feeling I so thoroughly enjoy. Especially during a recent trip to NYC: girls who got their boyfriends to spend three months’ wages on a splinter from the 'Blah' range at Tiffany’s looked baffled when seeing this seemingly simple piece. Why paint perfectly Wall Street-worthy gold with black paint, and why wear stones without showing them off? Ahhhh, aspirational simpletons.

They’d most certainly also don’t get why Hannah chose Russian gangsters and tsars as the inspiration for her latest collection Vincent. After the world had learned about the health benefits of Polonium-210, Chelsea became Chelsky and Russian submarines were up to all sorts of no-goodness, Hannah hand-carved her first Imperial Eagle Icon ring.

Inspired by the symbol of the last Russian tsar, it’s a corner stone in a smart collection (encompassing silver and gold pieces) that plays with symbols and talisman of the Russian empire. The ring is by Hannah’s standards a steal at £350.

If you insist on spending more – and who doesn’t? – Vincent’s Empty Sovereign ring should do the trick.

Hannah says: ‘His story was inspired by 1950's roulette wheels, rat pack style, with a hint of art deco gentleman's accessories (think Cartier lighters of the '30's). This is the ring of power for Vincent. The story goes that this is the family ring, an insignia passed from father to son marred with a bloodied history. When the Empty Sovereign appears on Vincent’s left hand, a life has been lost…"

It is created combining modern CAD technology with very traditional craftsmanship techniques. Each of the blue-black sapphires are cut by hand specifically for each piece, to work with the complexity of the setting. The 18 carat gold piece is yours for £3525."


WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF THAT? Nina loves Hannah too. Since it has been at least two weeks since we featured any of Hannah's work, we didn't think you'd mind.

Have a look at Nina's beautiful wares online at www.ninaandlola.com; Hannah's pieces are available through the site or directly from the designer at www.hannahmartinlondon.com


All images copyright Hannah Martin 2009