Vintage Lust: Deco hat pins

We're not quite sure what we'd do with these, we just want them....

Hatpins were a must-have from around 1890 to 1925 - a relatively short passing trend in fashion years - and apart from being worn to keep hats on heads, they were also commonly used by women as self-defence weapons! Fantastic. Gorgeous, practical, and fend off weirdos. What more do you need from a piece of jewellery?

We love this Deco sapphire and diamond pin from c.1910:

And this Louis Vuitton classic gold and pearl (£120 from www.louisvuitton.com)

Our favourite pick has to be this gothic bat made by one of the most well-known hat-pin manufacturers of its day; Unger Brothers in the U.S. How good is this?


We'll wear them as single 'ear spears'...


Image copyright Louis Vuitton 2009

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AW09 Martin Margiela Jewellery

Simple, clean lines, bold structure, graphic shape = good design in our books.

That's why we love the Diamond Structure mini range from Maison Martin Margiela...I'll take the ring, please. And the entire AW09 Womenswear collection.

Enjoy at www.maisonmartinmargiela.com

Image copyright Maison Martin Margiela 2009.

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Top cuts: The designers setting the standard in gemstones.

So we're pretty obsessed with bespoke and original gemstone cuts and settings.

Diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires are inherently beautiful pieces of rock, thus they naturally withstand jewellery trends that sweep years, decades, and even centuries. A beautiful diamond is always a beautiful diamond. So why do designers stick to traditional ways of setting a stone, when technology has moved on so much that possiblities are almost endless? It's just all too easy to go for a bezel or prong setting...in fact we just think it's plain lazy.

Here are are our top 3 stunning feats of engineering and skill - and trust us, it's ridiculously hard to set a stone in the standard ways, let alone to do what these designers have managed...

First up, The Cut favourite Hannah Martin's secret stud rings in 18k yellow gold with sapphires:

And rubies:
To 'hide' a beautiful stone such as a ruby or sapphire is a deliberate jab at the 'pretty pretty precious precious' nature of jewellery-land - where the stones are deemed as unquestionably central to the piece and it's not even an option to position it somewhere unexpected. But Hannah is obviously not bothered with what is expected of her designs, and turns this notion on its sharp little tip.

This is a technical marvel - faceted stones set on the inside of a ring? - we're seriously impressed. In fact we may devote a whole post to Hannah's inventive setting ideas we love them so much...

Secondly is the Martin Margiela 'Upside Down' ring. Not demanding quite as much engineering skill as the above setting, it's sheer simplicity in a basic flipping of a traditional style makes us love it even more.
This simple and innovative design is typical of Margiela's twist on the traditional; an aesthetic that is seen through the (main) fashion arm; producing classic but contemporary basics with trademark immaculate tailoring.

Last up (and first up at the top of this post) is parisian designer Marie-Helene de Talliac. Visiting Marie-Helene's website is a little trippy - like being inside a huge gemstone sweet-shop - colourbursts of all the colours in the spectrum. Cute - but spend too long there and you might be sick. There's only so many rainbow gemstones one person can take - just a little warning.

Saying that, this ring is a clever example of centre-drilling of a relatively soft stone (amethyst). It's simplicity sings through - and lets the pure beauty of the stone really shine, without any surrounding walls to dampen it's luminous glow.
Shop Hannah Martin's collection online, and also at top independent designer boutique Nina & Lola.

Images copyright Hannah Martin 2009, Martin Margiela 2009 and Marie-Helene de Talliac 2009.

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ARCHIVE: : Christopher Kane for Atelier Swarovski

It's actually quite hard to make something nice out of Swarovski crystals. Despite Nadja Swarovski's best efforts to develop the 'couture' arm of the over one hundred year old brand, it still manages to carry a certain 'home-made-and selling-on-Etsy' kind of feel...

Well it did until Christopher Kane produced these necklaces (and smaller bracelets) for the AW2007 Atelier Swarovski collection. Padded 'Bolsters' - chunky material covered in a mesh of crystals - with a golden functional key-ring style clasp - banish thoughts of naff figurine animals the brand was once famous for, and definitely bring Swarovski back in the game for high-end costume/catwalk jewellery.



Whereas they still have a long way to go (you can still find a very nasty store on London's Oxford Street selling the aforementioned crystal covered deer etc) this is without a doubt a step in the right direction.

With subsequent Atelier Swarovski collections from serious fashion players Jonathan Saunders, Giles ('3 Stake' necklace from SS09 pictured above), Erdem and Rodarte, as well as London jewellery superstars Stephen Webster, Mawi and Pippa Small, it's clear that Nadja knows exactly what she's doing.

View the current and archive collections at www.atelierswarovski.com

Image copyright Christopher Kane / Swarovski 2007, Giles / Swarovski 2009.

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The genius of Solange: Part 1

Help we can't breathe...the new Solange Azagury-Partridge website is here.


Solange Azagury Partridge started out by carving a niche in the fine jewellery market unlike any other. With no formal training and a new baby preventing her from working in an office (ah, we love that), she started out by designing her own engagement ring to much praise from her friends.


Her almost total disregard for traditional subjects, styling and commerciality has made her pieces so completely desirable. The subject matter skips around happily from deep dark gothic influences to crisp clean science and maths, yet her style is instantly recognisable.


A browse through her website leaves us feeling confused and a bit dizzy - do we want the whimsical enamelled cloud ring? A simple CND diamond 'Tattoo' ring? If we're getting engaged we want a Supernova multicoloured diamond and opal ring.? A Smartie Poison ring? Seriously we feel sick. There's too much good stuff.



Therein lies the genius of her design - there's actually something for everyone (who has the cash or is willing to sell a kidney). Whether you're after a simple eternity diamond ring, a crazy techno multicoloured diamond extravaganza, a cute enamelled daisy, Pop-Art inspired pink lips (below), or classic slinky draping chains...it's all here.


And usually with a stunning detail - opening lids of rings, twisting and spinning elements...the mastery of the craftsmanship contributes to the well-deserved hefty price tag.


It actually makes us question our own style - what do we really like? We're bombarded by so much beauty that we want it all - gothic, classic, whimsical, graphic, rock, 80s, Pop-Art...the list goes on. She is appealing to the inner fickle nature of us all...we want to be able to be so many different things as the days, weeks and months go by - and this is the designer to stand by us for those years to come.

More shots from the site to come - in the meantime, if there's one site you visit today, make it this: www.solangeazagurypartridge.com.

The store is located at 187 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2SB in the UK, and 809 Madison Avenue, New York, NY10065 in the US.

We'll stop gushing now. Part 2 coming soon, featuring more frenetic, kinetic wonders from SA-P.

P.s. Even if you don't like jewels, the graphics on the website are ace:


All images copyright Solange Azagury Partridge 2009.

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No more white backgrounds! The best jewellery shoots of the year.

PART ONE: O+T for Please Magazine



OMG. The fashion press have realised the potential of the jewellery shoot. No more white backgrounds! - or black backgrounds! - or dull close-up cut-outs! Finally. We know still life can be boring to shoot, all that standing around all day...but really there's no excuse.

The slickest shots from a selection of editorials from the past few months are all predominantly from one publication - the magnificent 'Please' - a ground-breaking french magazine presenting the hottest new fine jewellery in the most inventive and inspirational ways we've seen yet. First up this week are photography duo O+T.

From the June edition of Please is a luxury shoot featuring Van Cleef & Arpels, Dior Joaillerie and Cartier...cute juxtoposition of old Mickey Mouse sweatshirts and vintage t-shirts could cheapen the look of the ridiculously expensive product - but no - expert art direction results in a fresh and luxury look without going OTT.



They also prove they can do classic:



And subtle: (we love how they've kept the shot the same but changed the product for each frame - this also worked well on previous Please shoots where each whole page of the fashion story had the model in the same pose but a different outfit)



There's simply too much good stuff in this publication to show without getting busted for copyright - our next post will feature french supershooters Tania et Vincent, and the seriously high-end Alix Malka who shot this for Italian Flair magazine:




Oh my.


Images courtesy of Please Magazine, all copyrights property of the artists/photographers.

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Go designer to save cash! 5 hot young jewellers to buy NOW.

Don't spend your hard-earned pennies down at H&M now there's a recession on....tat is bad on many levels - it looks cheap, it will break, and it's probably supporting some nasty sweat-shop somewhere. We all know that there's no fair way to produce a pair of £2.99 earrings. Seriously.

So here's the plan: cunning and wise fashionistas who know how to get their moneys worth are shopping with independent designers. And we don't mean Camden Market, we mean the hoards of jewellery designer/makers hiding away on random websites and obscure boutiqes. If you know where to find them, you're not only in with a chance of finding a limited edition or one-off piece that no one else will have, but you're also supporting these struggling artists rather than your local highstreet. Yay!

So we've picked our top 5 hot young designers du jour, for you to go forth and enjoy...

First up today (the rest will follow throughout the month) is Duffy Jewellery. Duffy is making the kind of rock'n'roll pieces that will add serious weight to your collection - big, fierce, heavyweight rings, bespoke link bracelets and necklaces, and hand-carved pendants. Our favourites are the crazy (and highly impractical) knuckledusters (above), the gold 'sad clown' skull pendant and this fishbone necklace.





Also - although it's a little cheeky - you can sometimes negotiate with the designer if you contact them directly. We're in no doubt that designers we're featuring throughout the next few weeks will most probably get snapped up by major retailers - but if you buy direct from the studio you could be looking at a lower rate. Barter hard, ladies, barter hard...

All pieces available at www.duffyjewellery.com.

All images copyright Duffy Jewellery 2009.

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Covet of the week: Sonia Cheadle 18k 'Fluid' collection

Very rarely does something appear that makes us seriously consider increasing our usual maximum spend on a piece...but the entire 'Fluid' collection by Clerkenwell based designer Sonia Cheadle is making us reach for the credit card. Draping gold ball chains hang seamlessly from solid chunks of perfect 18k rectangular clasps, in the form of a bracelet, a necklace, two rings and a pair of cufflinks. Five pieces of absolute master craftsmanship.

We'll let the photos do the talking for this collection, but everything about it is causing us to drool slightly and rationalise taking out a second mortgage....the smooth mechanics of the feature clasps, expanses of solid gold in perfect geometric shapes. We want it all...

Prices are on application at www.soniacheadle.com.








All images copyright Sonia Cheadle 2009

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This month we're feeling:

Tough, simple, golden. You may have already noticed this, with the last few posts dedicated to our favourite style of the moment; bold, gold hardware with a masculine edge and minimum fuss (hello Hannah Martin and Dominic Jones). We know all the big fashion houses are doing big, oversized, embellishment overload; with felt and crystals at Prada and huge slices of rock at Marni, but we can't help but feel that this is all a bit much - and carries a certain 'highstreet' feel about it. Yikes.

Whereas there's definitely a place for a nice Prada grey crystal 'bib' necklace (see below) - it certainly whacks a grey t-shirt and jeans up a notch - there's still little to distinguish these pieces from their highstreet copies.



Which is where the beautifully crafted solid golden pieces of detailed simplicity win us over every time. We know it sounds dramatic, but this simple Hannah Martin necklace (below) can totally transform anything else remotely girly or 'safe' you might be wearing in an instant - without a whiff of the highstreet.



We're also wearing a single earrings with everything at the moment to get the same result: a bit of asymmetry always helps to stop us from feeling too 'pretty' - current favourite is this Hannah Martin beauty (we're going to stop ranting about her soon, promise)



We know that the Prada bib is costume jewellery and Hannah Martin is clearly fine jewellery (prices can reach over £12,000 for a bangle) - so in theory we can't put them in the same race - but we feel we can. Jewellery always has a job to transform your outfit and how you feel when wearing it - so whether it's made of glass or gold, both these pieces aim to finish off your look with a lasting direction....and in this case we'd rather end up feeling a little bit tough than a little bit Topshop.

Images copyright Prada 2009, Hannah Martin London 2009, Dominic Jones 2009

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Me and Mr Jones...

Ok, so we've found another London-based jeweller to add to our top 5 jewellers of the moment. Despite being a newcomer to the jewellery scene, Dominic Jones managed to recruit Alice Dellal, Lizzy Jagger and Eliza Cummings for his new LookBook to present his first collection.

In a similar vein to our other designer du jour, Hannah Martin, Jones makes strong, solid golden pieces with a punky feel, yet his prices are a great deal more accessible than Martin's. This, he claims, is part of his plan. He creates the piece - such as the gorgeous 'Claw' ring - in brass, and then adds a thick gold plate; resulting in a much lower price point than his rival, but still giving a weighty, expensive feel.
His unisex jewellery is already creating a buzz here in the UK as well as in the US, no thanks in part to his business partner (and muse, it seems) Alice Dellal, who has invested in the label. She apparently fell in love on the spot with one of his rings and immediately wanted to be involved.
We don't blame her - we seriously love pretty much all of the collection, especially the rings and 'thorn' earrings; and - hooray! - Dominic's clever pricing means it's accessible to us even in these hard-up times. Prices range from a reasonable £100 upwards - have a look at the whole collection and the shoot at www.dominicjonesjewellery.com.

All images copyright Dominic Jones London 2009

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ARCHIVE: : Lara Bohinc Fine Jewellery

Poor Lara. Her designs have possibly been one of the most copied of the past few years, with the crazy success of her Solar Eclipse range being emulated (the nicest possible word for it) by most of the highstreet - and even some bigger names who should know better.

However, her fine jewellery range, which operates on a price-on-application policy for most of the pieces, showcases her truly original and maverick style that we at The Cut actually prefer to her more well known styles.

These gorgeous rings in white agate and 18K yellow gold, with pavé diamonds, are unlike anything in the fine jewellery world - big, bold pieces with unusual choices of stone, in both cut: huge round globes - and colour: bright white agate (pictured), turquoise and jet black.

The highly original use of these huge shapes in fine jewellery is quite rare, hence the hefty price-tag, and is sure to create another legion of copycat designs on the highstreet once they catch on...

Unfortunately for them, it's the weight and sheer beauty of the quality materials that make the piece so fantastic, so it's unlikely that cheaper versions would hold the same appeal.



Check out the whole range at www.larabohinc107.co.uk

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Vintage gold.

Perfection in one piece - this gorgeous vintage ring is everything we want over here at The Cut:

18k gold - in a nice vintage tone - geometric, simple but with a whimsical edge due to its Victorian heritage....we love love love it. Find it and similar stunning pieces like the simple 18k gold and prasiolite ring (below) at the Brooklyn NYC based vintage store Erie Basin.
You can also find similar styles by searching for 'vintage knot ring' in Ebay or google...

All images copyright Erie Basin USA 2009

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Hannah Martin London

The new site is up and running and does nothing but confirm Hannah Martin London's position as one of the top London jewellery designers.

The past and present collections are exactly what a young, fresh London clientele are wearing and wishing for at the moment - tough, bold, classic and beautifully executed designs. Despite many of the pieces hailing from collections that are 3 or 4 years old, they feel perfectly current and act as an antidote to the embellishment overkill of the past few seasons.

The fact that it's designed for men (apparently) only adds to its appeal - simple, clean lines and a minimal colour palette; reduced to a smattering of deep rubies, blue sapphires and black diamonds; lets the stunning expanses of gold shine brighter.

Our favourite is the black pearl single earring - the pearl screws in allowing the golden hook to sit behind the ear...
The new site's rather basic design is the only flaw I can find, missing a luxury feel found in the classic jewellery houses' websites like Chanel or Dior - but the jewellery itself is easily on a par with these established names, and Hannah Martin is swiftly producing collections to rival them.

View entire range at www.hannahmartinlondon.com

All images copyright Hannah Martin London 2009

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