International Jewellery London 2010; Being a Part of It!
The jewellery industry isn’t all about glitter and sparkle, you know. No wait, I lie. It is, actually, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. The worst part about working in this industry, and especially in the diamond one, is that you’re constantly surrounded by all-too-tempting rocks, rings, and razzle-dazzle. And as with walls, when you spend enough time with them, they start speaking to you. “Touch me, feel me, try me on,” they say, with persuasion hard as, well, diamonds. “You. Must. Have. Me.” Sshhh!
“A diamond in the rough” is a phrase generally applied to anything that’s hard to find…but when you’re surrounded by diamonds all day long, the only thing hard to find is restraint. In fact, they should probably list this quality on all job descriptions within this sector. Trust me, temptation takes on a whole new vigour when there’s no shop window between you and the object, that is, when you’re constantly on the other side of the shop window.
Or, when there’s no shop window whatsoever and you find yourself at a jewellery fair, like I did at International Jewellery London 2010, held in Earl’s Court last week. You know that giant building you see when you walk out of the Earl’s Court tube station? Yep, that one. Imagine that, full of jewellery. And I’m expected to work? Ha!
You’re supposed to be there researching packaging, networking, studying jewellery trends, or sussing out your competition…and (because my employers will read this, I’ll confirm I did), but as soon as that was done, I turned to the more pressing research of which necklace would best accessorise my new dress. Ooh! Aah! Mmm. Yes, the only thing there is more of than sparkle at a jewellery fair are sound effects.
Up and coming jewellery designers!
At Seventy Seven Diamonds we love to support creativity and design in the jewellery realm. This week we’ve picked some of best the aspiring jewellery designers from London and the UK who we think warrant praise and exposure. Take a look at the unique pieces in all their differing styles with traditional, vintage or modern motivation – appreciate their creativity and become inspired yourself!
Poly Philippou
Cyprus Cone design, available on website
An independent jewellery designer, Poly lives and works in East London to promote and sell her work primarily by word-of-mouth or recommendation. She also undertakes commissions and displays at gallery shops based in London and Brighton.
She claims, “I love art, nature, ethnicity and clean lines and geometry, and these loves are the drivers behind my designs.”
Her work is mainly in silver and certainly exhibits an essence of the natural world, usually using clean and precise shapes that act as feature pieces with enormous versatility. Some of her more intricate designs are cleverly adapted to bring a natural object to life through jewellery; for example, her Cyprus Cone collection was inspired and cast from tiny pine cones she found in the Paphos district in Cyprus.
You can find more of Poly Philippou's designs on her website.
Are you an aspiring jewellery designer? Part Two
At Seventy Seven Diamonds we love to encourage talent and support up and coming designers in their struggle to become more skilled, successful and recognised. This is the second part of the blog series in which we identify some of the key challenges faced by jewellery designers and offer advice and information on current opportunities which they, as aspiring artistes, can use to their advantage for both creating and selling their pieces.
What can you expect?
In part one we outlined the job requirements for designers in general terms. If you’re fairly new to the game, here’s some more information about what you can expect to be involved in the job...
Jewellery designers plan the style and pattern of jewellery, silverware and other decorative metalwork products. As a jewellery designer, you could produce designs for mass production, or to be made individually or in small numbers by yourself or other craft-workers. For example, you could be commissioned to:
- Produce designs to meet the requirements of a client (known as a 'brief' or commission) or for general sale. This can include the work of large-scale designer line sales.
- Produce designs which are then made by other staff (if you work for a company).
Antique and Vintage Jewellery Designs
What is the difference between antique and vintage?
The term ‘vintage’ is used to describe styles that existed from the 1920’s to the 1980’s. Vintage jewellery can either be a reproduction of an original item or designed in the style of something that existed or it can be the actual genuine item. Vintage style jewellery is more ornamental and makes use of smaller decorative diamonds.
The term ‘antique’ is usually applied to jewellery that was made before 1920. Antique jewellery styles are named after the time period in which they were first created. Many antique styles continue to influence jewellery design today and are even reproduced at the request of discerning jewellery buyers. Antique style engagement rings were both elegant and delicate, made with great care and attention to detail.
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