Vintage find: Diamond & Pearl Star Earrings

Swooning over these this week....love the rose gold posts.

Fortune favours the brave: the jewellery of Lauren Adriana

We first noticed jewellery designer Lauren Adriana in 2009 amongst the chaos and hopeful averageness of the hell that is the International Jewellery Fair in London. Shining out like a beacon of style against a backdrop of uninspiring mediocrity, we instantly liked the quiet confidence she had in her work; she'd clearly gone against the standard 'rules' of building a collection, and instead produced a handful of incredible one-off, gemstone-led pieces, with incredible craftsmanship and exquisite finishing.

Ziggurat Ring - gold, citrine, rhodolite, spessartite, sapphires, amethyst, diamonds

It's tricky to build a brand around a motley crew of beautiful things, however beautiful there are. But this is where Lauren has succeeded. From a seemingly incohesive  (style-wise) collection of unconventional, bold, gemstone jewellery, Lauren has infused each piece with its own sense of style and wonder. And that's where the cohesion becomes apparent.

Osiris Ring - gold, silver, copper, rutile quartz, tourmaline, diamonds

Using a rich palette of muted tones like burnt orange, rich berry pinks and lilacs against pops of turquoise, the pieces form a kaleidoscope of colour structured by strong, geometric lines and framing. 

Rose Earrings - gold, silver, amethyst, rhodolite, sapphires

And the fearlessness doesn't stop there. Unusual gemstones such as spessartite (a bright mandarin orange garnet) and indicolite (a very rare and very pure blue tourmaline) lie alongside stunning amethysts, sapphires and aquamarines, all beautiful quality and exquisite cuts.

Barb Earrings - gold, bronze, moonstone, prasiolite, diamonds

In addition to this, and going against all that traditional fine jewellery deems right and proper, Lauren has then included metals such as anodised aluminium, patinated copper and bronze, no mean feat considering how nervous a clientele can be about parting with their money for something they have never heard of before. 

Barb Earrings - gold, bronze, moonstone, prasiolite, diamonds

But if you're going to use those kinds of 'unprecious' metals in a fine jewellery collection, this is the way to do it. Brave, bold, experimental but sleek, polished and always beautiful, these pieces are hugely covetable for their richness and pure luxuriousness.

Ingot Ring - platinum, indicolite, sapphires

Pioneering new frontiers in jewellery design, Lauren Adriana is leading the way and saving us from the predictable 'rock 'n' roll' aesthetic that is sweeping London (still). 

To view the pieces in person, visit the Notting Hill boutique at 12 Colville Mews, London, W11 2DA, or visit www.laurenadriana.com to see more online.

Custom Engagement Ring Design: 3D Printing!

How does a man propose to his jewellery designer girlfriend? This was the conundrum of the other half of one of The Cut's favourite designers, Hattie Rickards. So rather than trying to match Hattie's own immense design skills, he went totally left-field, and tweaked a design of Elizabeth Taylor's ridiculously huge 30ct diamond engagement ring, and 'printed' it out in solid plastic! The little genius.

3D Printing is an additive process, where layers of material are built up on top of one another from a digital design file, and essentially 'printed' out using a 3D printer. The jewellery designer and her boyfriend are 'obsessed' with 3D printing, so this seems a fitting and hugely original way to pop the question.

We love it! Hattie's boyfriend, we salute you. 

Hot new find: Noor Fares

We saw these gorgeous earrings last week and had to feature them:

Made by the lovely London-based ewellery designer Noor, who we met last week at the Gemfields event, these earrings are made from mammoth ivory, 18k gold and diamonds. We love how they have a 'side profile' design, meaning that when worn they are displayed in their full glory from side on, rather than from the front.

For more of Noor, find her on facebook, or wait for her new website, coming soon.

Gemfields showcase incredible new designs...

Hannah Martin for Gemfields.

Wendy Yue for Gemfields.

Last week saw the culmination of Gemfields' collaboration with 36 of the world's best jewellery designers with a star-studded bash at London's Phillips gallery.

Jasmine Alexander for Gemfields.

Jayce Wong for Gemfields.

Gemfields is a gemstone mining company specialising in emeralds, amethysts and rubies - but what sets them apart is that every step of their business' process is transparent, and ethical, protecting not only the people working in the mines and the surrounding affected communities, but the landscape during and after the mining process. Old mines are filled with water to create lakes, and seeded with plants and fish.

Hoorsenbuhs for Gemfields.

Hoorsenbuhs for Gemfields.

They're also doing pretty cool things in the UK as well - supporting some of our best independent jewellery designers with a collaboration using some of their most beautiful gemstones. Featuring designers such as Hannah Martin, Fernando Jorge, Jayce Wong, Solange Azagury Partridge, Octium, Stephen Webster, Duffy, Theo Fennell, Amrapali and Dominic Jones, they've pulled in major international talent to showcase their stunning gemstones - a fantastic idea. 

Duffy for Gemfields.

Coomi for Gemfields.

The stones are used in all kinds of forms - tiny pavé swathes, big, beautiful cabochons, unusual bespoke cuts and of course plain and simple whopping classic rocks.

Octium for Gemfields.

Octium for Gemfields.

It was so great to see such well known and exciting designers all in one room - these things should happen more often - and we happily spent the evening snapping the stunning gemstones, and sneaking a peak at Mila Kunis, the brand's ambassador, and her man Ashton Kutcher.

Kimberley Mcdonald for Gemfields.

Kimberley Mcdonald for Gemfields.

Mila looked all tiny and beautiful, and was wearing Shaun Leane's spike earrings (below), a great represntation for one of London's top designers.

Shaun Leane for Gemfields.

The scope of designers was also impressive - far from going with the obvious big-hitters, Gemfields looked to more interesting talent like the sculptural genius Jordan Askill, the next big thing in luxury women's fine jewellery Fernando Jorge, and London hot stuff Hannah Martin.

Jordan Askill for Gemfields.

More organic styles were also represented, such as Ibiza's Natasha Collis, London's Wright & Teague and Kimberley Mcdonald from the US. 

Robinson Pelham for Gemfields.

Solange Azagury Partridge

Hannah Martin for Gemfields.

Fernando Jorge for Gemfields.

It's exciting to see a mining company lead the way in supply as well as demand - by building excitement and awe through collaborating with designers the profile of gemstones such as emeralds is given a contemporary boost, and Gemfields are backing up this beautiful design with an ethical backbone, allaying our current concerns about how these incredible stones find their way from often war-torn countries to our western markets.

Svelta for Gemfields.

Gemfields are raising awareness of the ethical side to buying gemstones, but in a positive way - supporting and celebrating both prolific and up-and-coming designers and allowing them the freedom to use these beautiful stones. And the results are breathtaking. For more info have a look at www.gemfields.co.uk.