First Look: New Jewelry Exhibit at London Fashion Week
Last month, the British Fashion Council announced the Rock Vault Dozen — a new commission for twelve young jewelry designers in association with the International Palladium Board. The designers were each asked to create a ring using up to an ounce of palladium. On Saturday the rings will be unveiled to press and buyers at London Fashion Week.
By using palladium, a precious, lightweight white metal with remarkable strength, the designers (including Hannah Martin, Husam El Odeh, and Katie Hillier) were able to create more adventurous pieces than would have been possible with silver or gold. When we asked each jeweler for a few words about his or her design, they were full of colorful compliments for the metal — it was compared variously to a lily, a dragonfly, and an “Afro-Brazilian deity.” Click through the slideshow for a peek at the rings before they go on display.
Yunus and Eliza Yunus and Eliza are known for avant-garde, sculptural jewelry with a gothic, decadent edge. “With the Claw Ring we've been a...
Yunus and Eliza Yunus and Eliza are known for avant-garde, sculptural jewelry with a gothic, decadent edge. “With the Claw Ring we've been able to push the design to its furthest potential in a way we couldn’t have with other metals. Each claw was finessed to a shard-like point, almost impossibly thin and yet defiantly strong. The splash of red in the interior provides a luxurious canvas to this drama.”
Alexandra Jefford Known for her art-inspired aesthetic, Jefford is the only jeweler to date to be given a solo show at Jay Joplin’s White Cube ga...
Alexandra Jefford Known for her art-inspired aesthetic, Jefford is the only jeweler to date to be given a solo show at Jay Joplin’s White Cube gallery in London. “The color and nature of the metal was the driving inspiration for this piece,” she says. “I used to think of palladium simply as an alloy, but the project has persuaded me to use it as a stand-alone metal for my designs. Its lightness and elegance gave me the freedom to design a more complex and sculptural piece.”
Sophie Bille Brahe Sophie Bille Brahe graduated from London’s Royal College of Arts and has now started her eponymous line, which reflects her in...
Sophie Bille Brahe Sophie Bille Brahe graduated from London’s Royal College of Arts and has now started her eponymous line, which reflects her interest in storytelling and her Scandinavian heritage. The thought behind this particular piece is typically whimsical. “I got my inspiration from the lights in an old amusement park in Copenhagen," she explains. "At night, the garden lights are turned on, you see the lovely silhouettes of the harlequin lamps and get that feeling of past time's pantomime.”
Jordan Askill Originally from Sydney, Askill spent three years in Paris designing at Dior Homme, and now has a studio in London. He used the comm...
Jordan Askill Originally from Sydney, Askill spent three years in Paris designing at Dior Homme, and now has a studio in London. He used the commission to develop a new series of what he calls his "birth rings," featuring flowers for every month of the year. "I started with Lily of the Valley, set with diamonds and Swarovski forest green topaz," he says. "It displays strength with the wrapping and intertwining around the finger, while the color of palladium gives the impression of the lily.”
Melanie Georgacopoulos Much of Georgacopoulos's work focuses on using pearls in unconventional settings. “I imagined a knuckleduster with pearls,...
Melanie Georgacopoulos Much of Georgacopoulos's work focuses on using pearls in unconventional settings. “I imagined a knuckleduster with pearls," she says. "Its strength acts as a protective barrier, its lightness makes it easy to wear.”
Hillier Hillier has collaborated with Hugo Boss, Stella McCartney, House of Holland, and Victoria Beckham, and since 2003 she's helped create acc...
Hillier Hillier has collaborated with Hugo Boss, Stella McCartney, House of Holland, and Victoria Beckham, and since 2003 she's helped create accessories for Marc by Marc Jacobs. "To reflect the lustrous and light qualities of the metal, my Bunny Love Ring is inlayed with fluorescent ceramic enamel that glows in the dark," says the designer, who launched her own brand, Hillier, in 2010. "It adds a playful attitude to a fine and precious piece of jewellery.”
Husam El Odeh "I loved the idea of making a ring that can be worn different ways and can be quite a statement piece,” says El Odeh, who's be...
Husam El Odeh "I loved the idea of making a ring that can be worn different ways and can be quite a statement piece,” says El Odeh, who's been designing a range of accessories for Mihara Yasuhiro’s menswear shows in Paris for the past four seasons. “My idea was based on flint stones that cracked open to reveal a crystal cave. The ring halves fit perfectly together and have an element of a toy or a puzzle."
Fernando Jorge Brazilian-born Jorge uses gemstones and technologies from his home country. “The inspiration behind my design is water and Yemanja...
Fernando Jorge Brazilian-born Jorge uses gemstones and technologies from his home country. “The inspiration behind my design is water and Yemanja, a deity in Afro-Brazilian religions,” he says. “She represents the ocean, the essence of motherhood and protection, which is translated by the lightness and strength of palladium.”
Imogen Belfield Belfield’s designs have been worn by Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, and Uma Thurman, among others. “The material allowed me ...
Imogen Belfield Belfield’s designs have been worn by Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, and Uma Thurman, among others. “The material allowed me to create a bold knuckleduster ring," she says. "The ring’s scale, construction and sculpted angles have all been designed to exploit palladium’s lightness, luminosity and strength, which can't be found in other precious metals."
Jo Hayes Ward Hayes Wards constructs her jewelry from small building block elements, giving them an architectural aesthetic. “I wanted to make a ...
Jo Hayes Ward Hayes Wards constructs her jewelry from small building block elements, giving them an architectural aesthetic. “I wanted to make a large statement piece taking full advantage of the lightness of palladium,” she says. “The main form of the ring is constructed from a pattern of faceted hexagonal elements, which reflect light in different directions, enhancing palladium’s lovely gray tones.”
Tomasz Donocik Donocik is known for playing with surprising materials and techniques. "The dragonfly on which the piece is based starts...
Tomasz Donocik Donocik is known for playing with surprising materials and techniques. "The dragonfly on which the piece is based starts life as an aquatic nymph, before metamorphosing into a graceful flying insect," he says. "For me, the insect is a perfect illustration of the unique qualities of palladium: waterlike purity, ethereal lightness, and subtle strength."
Hannah Martin Martin is known for luxury jewelry with a masculine style. For this piece, she says she took inspiration from the illustrations of ...
Hannah Martin Martin is known for luxury jewelry with a masculine style. For this piece, she says she took inspiration from the illustrations of Ernst Haeckel, the architecture of Santiago Calatrava, and Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs of bodybuilder Lisa Lyon. “My piece combines signature graphic and sculptural lines, simple yet bold in form," she explains. "I wanted to create pieces that were light and strong, but had volume and hard-hitting elegance."
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