Jewellery Focus April 2019 | Page 19

FEATURE TREND-WATCH Maria Kotsoni rose gold that takes inspiration from the British countryside – in this case from Cornish beaches, sunshine and childhood memories. Featuring cowrie shells, clams, starfish and periwinkles the Shell collection of large hoop earrings, drops, necklaces, bracelets and anklets is cast in sterling silver from shells sourced by Kelly and finished in the studio. (www.cabbagewhiteengland.com) Coloured stones are still immensely popular, especially blues and greens as the seaside and ocean theme is so topical, while rubies, the king of gems, are much sought after for their intense colour and rarity. GFG Jewellery by Nilufer is a London based fine jewellery company established by Nilufer Kizilkaya in 2014. To celebrate her 20th year of living in London Nilufer introduced a collection, PROJECT 20/20 featuring responsibly sourced Zambian emeralds, the gemstone for 20th anniversaries, with white diamonds set in 18k gold. The Lara collection of delicate rings showcases blue sapphire, Zambian emeralds, black diamonds and G+/ VS natural white diamonds. The Eline collection has three variations – black diamonds with white sapphires, blue and white sapphires or Gemfields unheated Mozambique rubies with diamonds. (www.gfgjewellery.com) Aura Bijoux is a new French brand, introduced to the UK this year at Scoop London by Alice April 2019 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk Charmain Studio Cannat. Based on lithotherapy, the belief that all stones emit healing vibrations and energy, the collection combines natural stones with the principle of wellbeing, featuring lapis lazuli for connection, friendship and mental clarity, aventurine for serenity and pink quartz for kindness and reassurance. (www.aurabijoux.com) This is the year to spend the day at the Victoria & Albert Museum. As well as two outstanding and contrasting fashion exhibitions: Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, now extended to 1 September, and Mary Quant, from 6 April to 16 February 2020, there is the exciting reopening of the William and Judith Bollinger Gallery, home to the Museum’s world-class jewellery collection. Among the eighty new pieces joining the display will be Queen Victoria’s sapphire and diamond coronet, recently acquired by the V&A. The Gallery charts the history of jewellery from Ancient Greece to the present, with the Glenn Spiro Papillon ring gifted to the museum by Beyonce, and the first piece of Fairtrade Gold – a stunning hand sculpture by Ute Decker. (www.vam.ac.uk) Vittoria Street Gallery presents a fascinating exhibition of jewellery and objects celebrating Iron in the City of Birmingham, co-curated by visiting Professor Elizabeth Turrell and Professor Nilufer Stephen Bottomley at the School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University. FERROcity showcases and explores iron as a catalyst, material and fundamental element of life, alongside gemmological samples and photography on specialist microscopes commissioned from the School’s Gemmology department, capturing the transformative effect of iron on the colouration of gemstones. The work of 22 distinguished contemporary makers features in the exhibition, arriving at Vittoria Gallery on 1 April – 18 April, fresh from its’ opening show in Munich in tandem with the March jewellery events. (www.bcu.ac.uk) The London Artisan is a quarterly curated marketplace in the East End of London for artisanal craft from independent producers and makers. The spring show takes place from 13-14 April, with 60 designer makers, including many jewellers. Artisan & Fox is a company that works ethically in developing countries with skilled independent artisans, local groups and social enterprises to sell their products internationally. The jewellery fuses contemporary style with traditional craftsmanship, as in the Lapis Lazuli collection handcrafted in Afghanistan and the latest capsule Collection of geometric smooth and hammered textures in brass recycled from old instruments, made by artisans in Kenya. (www.artisanandfox.com) (www.thelondonartisan.com) ‘‘ Coloured stones are still immensely popular, especially blues and greens as the seaside and ocean theme is so topical, while rubies, the king of gems, are much sought after for their intense colour and rarity ‘‘ JANET FITCH JEWELLERY FOCUS 19