I have always wondered how the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, one of Coco Chanel’s lovers (the one who gave her the Romanov pearls) felt when she announced to the world that it was so much more chic to wear faux pearls than real. I’d have been sorely tempted to ask for them back. Before Chanel, people mostly wore fake because they couldn’t afford the real thing. Afterwards, even those who could afford gems by the fistful mixed faux and real. They learnt from Chanel that a million-dollar rock should be worn with the same insouciance as a string of fake pearls.
I love the sentiment, but there does come a moment when only real will do — an engagement ring, for instance (“Here, my darling, is a divine little plastic ring,” doesn’t quite cut it), a special anniversary, or 18th or 21st birthday. If any of these is on your horizon, then this is the time to go looking. The Coutts London Jewellery Week is on until 6pm on Sunday. The bad news is that while there’s masses to see and wonderful new jewellers to discover, they are at shops and exhibition halls sprinkled across London — though you can see many of the designs at www.londonjewelleryweek.co.uk.
The main problem is where to start. If you want an engagement ring or are thinking of commissioning something special, I’d go first to Treasure in the Flower Cellars in Russell Street, Covent Garden. Here are 40 young designers desperate for commissions. They can’t command the prices of, say, Stephen Webster or Shaun Leane (the darlings of the fashionista set — whose work you can see at Selfridges in the Wonder Room) so you’ll get good value for money. They’ll be holding salons where you can see look-books and ask them questions.
At Liberty there is an exhibition called Rising Gems, run in conjunction with Swarovski Elements (the gemstone part of the Swarovski empire) and the World Land Trust (WLT), where you’ll find more burgeoning talent. Most of the designs have been inspired by the natural materials that the WLT takes action to protect — there are necklaces that look like coral and earrings reminiscent of seaweed. Ornella Iannuzzi’s Cubic Crystallization ring (right) is made from pyrite (fool’s gold) set in rhodium-plated silver and gold leaf, and costs £2,000.
Among my favourite designers is Rachel Galley, who is one of this year’s winners of a Coutts jewellery award — I liked her work so much that I bought one of her necklaces made from fine filigree silver, lined with gold. Her work, and that of lots of other young designers, can be seen at the Cockpit Arts in Holborn (cockpitarts.com; 020-7419 1959) on June 13 and 14 when they will be having open house. You can also buy online through rachelgalley.com, prices for her trademark filigree “pillow” chain necklaces start at £225.
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Other places worth visiting include Erickson Beamon of 38 Elizabeth Street, London, who has a divine range of diamond jewellery (I loved the enchanting earrings for £3,500). Around the corner at 4 Motcomb Street is Carolina Bucci, whose delicate woven gold bracelets are as distinctive a piece of jewellery as Cartier’s panthers (though slightly more accessible). You can also buy her jewellery through astleyclarke.com, where a beautiful woven 18ct gold and turquoise silk ring costs £550.
What has any of this to do with Coutts, you may be wondering? Coutts tells me it has always encouraged creativity and, since Theo Fennell (whose fabulously in-your-face rocks have added to the gaiety of London life) believes that “British jewellers are like the pretty girl at the party who doesn’t think she’s good-looking”, Coutts has decided to do for jewellery what the handsome beau does for the girl: boost her confidence so that she can blossom. If you’re in the mood to be cheered up, or simply buy a gem or two, it could scarcely be a better week to get your skates on.
Lucia van der Post