Blog Modules

Social Media and a Mega Star

People, Products

Social Media and a Mega Star

When I signed a long term agreement with Jennifer Lopez, the intention was pretty clear – and obvious. As a new, ambitious jewellery company with the goal to become a major player in the business, Endless Jewelry needed to speed ... Read More
Chocolates for the Lady?

People, Products

Chocolates for the Lady?

For a good few years now two types of ring creations have dominated our offering – bridal and cocktail. Although I am delighted to design both, the beauty of the cocktail genre really does give me a chance to show ... Read More
Social Media and a Mega Star

People, Products

Social Media and a Mega Star

When I signed a long term agreement with Jennifer Lopez, the intention was pretty clear – and obvious. As a new, ambitious jewellery company with the goal to become a major player in the business, Endless Jewelry needed to speed ... Read More
Chocolates for the Lady?

People, Products

Chocolates for the Lady?

For a good few years now two types of ring creations have dominated our offering – bridal and cocktail. Although I am delighted to design both, the beauty of the cocktail genre really does give me a chance to show ... Read More

News

A complete guide to eating and drinking at IJL 2016

by IJL •

International Jewellery London is the perfect opportunity to meet new people, make exciting business deals and catch up with old friends. To do this, we provide a selection of cafes, bars and restaurants to ensure you can make the most of your visit to Olympia Grand.

Whether you’re visiting for one day or exhibiting for all three days of the show, here’s our essential guide to eating and drinking at International Jewellery London 2016…

IJL Restaurant

Come and relax in our restaurant where a choice of tasty main dishes and indulgent desserts are served direct to your table. This year’s lunch menu includes smoked chicken and tarragon with a salad of autumn baby vegetables, hoisin-marinated duck breast and Devonshire white crab, as well as a tempting passionfruit and white chocolate cheesecake.

The restaurant is also open in the morning and afternoon serving a ‘Grab & Go’ lunch, plus a selection of hot and cold drinks, pastries and snacks.

IJL 2015_270
Exhibitors and visitors enjoying the IJL Restaurant in 2015

Export Café Bar

Serves a selection of snacks as well as draught beers, wines, champagne and soft drinks. You can also refuel with hot food, sandwiches, salads and wraps.

DP Cappuccino Espresso

Need a caffeine hit? Grab yourself a coffee and throw in a pastry, panini or a salad if you’re feeling peckish after a seminar.

IJL Champagne Bar

Come and enjoy a glass of Champagne from International Jewellery London’s prestigious Champagne partner, Thiénot. With a prime position on the Upper Gallery, the Champagne Bar is the ultimate spot to impress clients or catch up with existing business partners.

Celebrate with a glass of Thiénot - the official Champagne sponsor of International Jewellery London 2016.
Celebrate with a glass of Thiénot – the official Champagne sponsor of International Jewellery London 2016.

Thiénot sets itself apart from other Champagne houses. Always forward-thinking and priding itself on its family values and independence, this contemporary house has its heart set on offering quality cuvées and blends from the greatest terroirs of Champagne.

TT-Logo-tons-directs-3

Crussh

All that smiling and networking is thirsty work, so stop by smoothie and juice bar Crussh for a made-to-order boost. Sandwiches, super food salads, sushi and soups will also be available.

The Orchard Food Market

Look out for these two distinctive areas both offering sandwiches, salads, wraps and snacks, as well as hot food like jacket potatoes, pasta and meat dishes. Anyone who is powering through on coffee and fizz can also stock up here!

IJL 2015_108
The Orchard Food Market is just one of the many areas to find hot and cold food, coffee, tea and sweet treats at the show.

Artisan Bakery

Yorkshire baking company T.K’s est. 1888 has made it all the way to Olympia Grand, serving just-baked pastries, tarts and a selection of salads. It’s the perfect spot to step away from the hustle-and-bustle and catch up with a colleague.

English Tea Room

IJL’s very own English Tea Room can be found on the Upper Level of Olympia Grand. Treat yourself to cakes, biscuits and maybe the odd scone in comfortable surroundings – the ideal place to take a break and rest your feet for a few minutes.

Take a break in our traditional English Tea Room
Take a break in our traditional English Tea Room

Plan your visit to International Jewellery London here.

Register to attend International Jewellery London here. 

Register in advance online for the chance to win either an exclusive Champneys Pamper Spa Day for two or an Aston Martin Thrill Day at a famous motor race circuit!

Industry, Products

Q&A: Anchor & Crew founder Andrew Warner on new collections and the brand’s debut watch offer

by IJL •

It has been a busy but successful time for British jewellery brand, Anchor & Crew, in recent months. Since spring 2016, the brand has seen sales soar among its international retail partners, including Hiphunters (UK and International), AHALife (USA) and Menlook (Germany, UK and France).

This month the brand will launch on Australian e-commerce website, The Iconic, as well as in seven of the nine National Museums of the Royal Navy.

Despite being so hectic, Anchor & Crew will launch seven new collections at International Jewellery London this year, including a debut watch offer available to pre-order at the show.

Here, Anchor & Crew ‘captain’, Andrew Warner, explains more about upcoming collections and what makes International Jewellery London such a vital trade show experience for his brand…

Q: For anyone who isn’t familiar with your brand, what can you tell us about it? 

AW: Designed and handmade in Great Britain, we combine naval heritage with a modern style and new vision. Our designers take inspiration from anchors, mechanical and nautical objects, recreating innovative and industrial designs of the past into modern-day jewellery.

We specialise in stylish rope bracelets, fashionable anchor bracelets and nautical silver jewellery, redefining a vintage style, all of which is totally unisex. When we started we targeted male customers but we have now evolved into a completely unisex brand that has customers ranging from 15-years-old to 60-years-old who love our different way of thinking.

Anchor & Crew Pembroke rope bracelets
Anchor & Crew Pembroke rope bracelets

Q: What can you tell us about the new collections you will be unveiling at International Jewellery London in September? 

AW: At IJL we will be launching a new range of leather bracelets along with extensions to our rope bracelet collections, all of which are currently being design and made. But our biggest launch will be our new watch range. With this we have five different designs available, two of which contain our rope on the dial. Each design is available in multiple dial colours with both brown and black leather straps with coloured stitching. In total there are over 80 different combinations available.

ANCHOR & CREW Watch Face
A preview of Anchor & Crew’s debut watch collection

Q: Why is International Jewellery London such an important date in your calendar, and what are your aims for this year’s show? 

AW: For us IJL is the premier jewellery and watch show in the UK and comes at the perfect time as retailers look to new brands for the run-up to the Christmas period. This will be our third time exhibiting and we are aiming to increase our sales like we have done on each of the previous times. We definitely feel this is the ideal place to be.

It will still be a challenge, however, given the current economic climate – Brexit, retail footfall down, to name but a few – but we will rise to it as we notice people looking for that something different that stands out from the crowd.

Say hello to Anchor & Crew at IJL 2016 from 4th-6th September at Olympia Grand. Find them on stand Q78.

Register to attend International Jewellery London here. 

Register in advance online for the chance to win either an exclusive Champneys Pamper Spa Day for two or an Aston Martin Thrill Day at a famous motor race circuit!

Industry, People

KickStart 2016: Meet emerging jewellery designer Marina Skia

by IJL • • 1 Comment

International Jewellery London’s annual KickStart initiative is aimed at emerging UK designers looking to take their business to the next level.

10 up-and-coming design talents have been selected by the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) and IJL to have the unique opportunity to showcase their jewellery at IJL 2016 on a group stand in the prestigious Design Gallery.

Here, KickStart finalist and People’s Choice winner, Marina Skia, reveals the inspiration behind her abstract jewellery designs and what she’s most looking forward to at IJL 2016…

Q: If you had to describe your brand in three words what words would you choose?

MS: Elegant, sophisticated and feminine.

Q: How did you get started in the jewellery industry and what is your educational background?

MS: Jewellery making started as a hobby while I lived in Athens and worked as a junior fashion editor for one of the biggest publication companies in Greece. I soon realized that designing and making jewellery is what I wanted to do so I left my work to study full time jewellery making in Athens. This was vocational training focusing almost entirely on traditional techniques such as filigree, granulation, repoussé etc. After that I continued my studies at Sir John Cass, London, where I got an MA in jewellery design and a year after my graduation I launched my own brand.

Marina Skia Art Deco 4
Art Deco Fluidity Gladiator cuff

Q: Can you explain a little bit more about your design style, your key collection(s) and the type of customer you are designing for?

MS: If I had to pick the strongest design element that would be abstraction. Regardless of all else, the process of developing the design is that of removing the ‘clutter’ and gradually arriving in a form that clearly references the initial inspiration, but with a level of sophistication that can’t be achieved when too much detail is present.

I am also very interested in surfaces, that is the qualities of material, texture and colour combined. The Black Waves collection was my first attempt in introducing this element into my designs and I expect it will have a more prominent role in future collections.

Marina Skia Black Waves 14
A necklace from the Art Deco Fluidity collection

My main source of inspiration comes from nature with the sea and water in general having a very special place in my heart; I think coming from Greece this is only natural! My pieces, even the most minimal ones are still quite bold and stand out. Therefore, the customers I have in mind when designing are strong, confident women who are not afraid to stand out and make their presence felt, but they do so with elegance, grace and self-assurance.

Q: What are the most challenging aspects of launching and growing a new brand in 2016?

MS: I think the most difficult challenge is being noticed in such a competitive market. There is so much talent and London, and the UK in general, is a great place to find a lot of very promising designers. I think the most important thing is to develop a strong brand identity, stay focused and be prepared that inevitable mistakes and failures are part of the journey. We just need to learn the lesson and move on.

Q: If you had a mentor in the jewellery industry what would you ask them and what advice would you benefit from in the short term?

MS: I am becoming more and more interested in different models of organising the production, working with manufacturers and, in general, finding people to collaborate with, so I would ask advice about that. I would also like to know what the pivotal moments in their carer were, the breaks they had that took their work and brand to another level, but also what were the biggest mistakes along the way.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about exhibiting at IJL 2016 and what do you hope to achieve?

MS: I am thrilled to be part of Kickstart, it is such a great platform to promote my work and my brand. My aim is to make new contacts with the press and retailers, to present my work to a large audience of professionals within the industry and raise awareness about Marina Skia Jewellery as a brand.

Q: Are there any types of retailers or stockists in particular that you are trying to attract?

MS: I am focusing both on department stores as well as smaller shops and boutiques looking for unique, quality work.

Find out more about the 2016 KickStarters.

Register to attend International Jewellery London here. 

Register in advance online for the chance to win either an exclusive Champneys Pamper Spa Day for two or an Aston Martin Thrill Day at a famous motor race circuit!

People

KickStart 2016: Meet Tiki founder Cécile Gilbert

by IJL •

International Jewellery London’s annual KickStart initiative is aimed at emerging UK designers looking to take their business to the next level.

10 up-and-coming design talents have been selected by the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) and IJL to have the unique opportunity to showcase their jewellery at IJL 2016 on a group stand in the prestigious Design Gallery.

Here, 2016 KickStart finalist Cécile Gilbert describes her brand ethos, inspirations and reveals what she would ask an industry mentor about establishing a jewellery brand in 2016…

Q: If you had to describe your brand in three words what words would you choose?

CG: Iconoclastic, Eye-Catching, Innovative.

Q: How did you get started in the jewellery industry?

CG: I am pretty much self-taught. I began working with reclaimed Bakelite which ignited my passion for working with cast plastics. As luck would have it, my local art college in Brighton ran a part-time resin and plastics course. I enrolled, learned the basics and experimented for a number of years. During this period I developed my own cutout and recasting techniques. I then took a series of evening classes in silversmithing in order to create quality fitments for my finished pieces.

Q: Can you explain a little bit more about your design style, your key collection(s) and the type of customer you are designing for?

CG: I have always loved the beautiful Art Deco Bakelite jewellery from 1920s and 30s. I wanted to create a contemporary range which would reflect the same qualities in shape, tactility and colour, whilst adding a 21st century sophistication. By mixing my own pigments and making my own moulds I am able to form intricate shaped pieces in a distinctive colour palette.

I am currently presenting three collections: Luxor, Zazou and Lunula. Inspired by the Art Deco movement, the Luxor collection is a reminder of the classic ‘Sun Ray’ pattern with a tribal influence. The pieces are cast in a distinctive, angular and elegant shape.

Zazou Cuff by Tiki
Zazou Cuff by Tiki

The Zazou collection takes inspiration from the subculture from the same name. ‘Zazous’ were the subversive teenagers of 1940s occupied France, they dressed in brightly coloured clothes and listened to Jazz. This collection plays with blocks of vibrant colours with bold stripes, creating geometric and abstract shapes.

The Lunula collection is inspired by circular forms and half-moon shapes. The design consists of half-half patterns, one half in solid colour, the other ornate with irregular, contrasting lines. I design for sophisticated women who enjoy wearing tactile, playful and bold jewellery. My pieces compliment classic dress and more fashion orientated habiliment.

Q: What are the most challenging aspects of launching and growing a new brand in 2016?

CG: One of the biggest challenges is firstly getting exposure to the right customers and innovative jewellery retailers. Secondly, the public perception of my main medium ‘polyester resin’. Many people are unaware of the medium and often mistake it for acrylic, this hinders resin being taken seriously as a precious material.

Finally, it’s a matter of finance. Launching a new brand takes a lot of energy and also a lot of funds. For many beginners, like myself, making is the easy part. The business part is the hardest and is a continuous learning curve.

Q: If you had a mentor in the jewellery industry what would you ask them?

CG: If I had a mentor, I would like to know about their experiences, how they got started and managed to successfully run their own brand in a world filled with so many designers. I’d also love to know their opinion on my work and any advice they have on tackling the crucial steps in developing from an unknown designer to an established one.

Q: Are there any types of retailers or stockists in particular that you are trying to attract?

CG: I hope that IJL 2016 helps me to reach a national and international audience, providing the exposure my brand needs to move forward. Direct response to my work from professionals would allow me to evaluate the future capacity and direction of my business.

Resin jewellery is currently a very niche market. I feel the potential of the material has yet to be fully explored and experimented with. I hope that my pieces show that resin can be transform into stylish and timeless jewels. I hope to attract the innovative jewellery shops, the established galleries as well as the more design orientated boutiques.

Find out more about the 2016 KickStarters.

Register to attend International Jewellery London here. 

Register in advance online for the chance to win either an exclusive Champneys Pamper Spa Day for two or an Aston Martin Thrill Day at a famous motor race circuit!

News

A complete guide to eating and drinking at IJL 2016

by IJL •

International Jewellery London is the perfect opportunity to meet new people, make exciting business deals and catch up with old friends. To do this, we provide a selection of cafes, bars and restaurants to ensure you can make the most of your visit to Olympia Grand.

Whether you’re visiting for one day or exhibiting for all three days of the show, here’s our essential guide to eating and drinking at International Jewellery London 2016…

IJL Restaurant

Come and relax in our restaurant where a choice of tasty main dishes and indulgent desserts are served direct to your table. This year’s lunch menu includes smoked chicken and tarragon with a salad of autumn baby vegetables, hoisin-marinated duck breast and Devonshire white crab, as well as a tempting passionfruit and white chocolate cheesecake.

The restaurant is also open in the morning and afternoon serving a ‘Grab & Go’ lunch, plus a selection of hot and cold drinks, pastries and snacks.

IJL 2015_270
Exhibitors and visitors enjoying the IJL Restaurant in 2015

Export Café Bar

Serves a selection of snacks as well as draught beers, wines, champagne and soft drinks. You can also refuel with hot food, sandwiches, salads and wraps.

DP Cappuccino Espresso

Need a caffeine hit? Grab yourself a coffee and throw in a pastry, panini or a salad if you’re feeling peckish after a seminar.

IJL Champagne Bar

Come and enjoy a glass of Champagne from International Jewellery London’s prestigious Champagne partner, Thiénot. With a prime position on the Upper Gallery, the Champagne Bar is the ultimate spot to impress clients or catch up with existing business partners.

Celebrate with a glass of Thiénot - the official Champagne sponsor of International Jewellery London 2016.
Celebrate with a glass of Thiénot – the official Champagne sponsor of International Jewellery London 2016.

Thiénot sets itself apart from other Champagne houses. Always forward-thinking and priding itself on its family values and independence, this contemporary house has its heart set on offering quality cuvées and blends from the greatest terroirs of Champagne.

TT-Logo-tons-directs-3

Crussh

All that smiling and networking is thirsty work, so stop by smoothie and juice bar Crussh for a made-to-order boost. Sandwiches, super food salads, sushi and soups will also be available.

The Orchard Food Market

Look out for these two distinctive areas both offering sandwiches, salads, wraps and snacks, as well as hot food like jacket potatoes, pasta and meat dishes. Anyone who is powering through on coffee and fizz can also stock up here!

IJL 2015_108
The Orchard Food Market is just one of the many areas to find hot and cold food, coffee, tea and sweet treats at the show.

Artisan Bakery

Yorkshire baking company T.K’s est. 1888 has made it all the way to Olympia Grand, serving just-baked pastries, tarts and a selection of salads. It’s the perfect spot to step away from the hustle-and-bustle and catch up with a colleague.

English Tea Room

IJL’s very own English Tea Room can be found on the Upper Level of Olympia Grand. Treat yourself to cakes, biscuits and maybe the odd scone in comfortable surroundings – the ideal place to take a break and rest your feet for a few minutes.

Take a break in our traditional English Tea Room
Take a break in our traditional English Tea Room

Plan your visit to International Jewellery London here.

Register to attend International Jewellery London here. 

Register in advance online for the chance to win either an exclusive Champneys Pamper Spa Day for two or an Aston Martin Thrill Day at a famous motor race circuit!

Industry, Products

Q&A: Anchor & Crew founder Andrew Warner on new collections and the brand’s debut watch offer

by IJL •

It has been a busy but successful time for British jewellery brand, Anchor & Crew, in recent months. Since spring 2016, the brand has seen sales soar among its international retail partners, including Hiphunters (UK and International), AHALife (USA) and Menlook (Germany, UK and France).

This month the brand will launch on Australian e-commerce website, The Iconic, as well as in seven of the nine National Museums of the Royal Navy.

Despite being so hectic, Anchor & Crew will launch seven new collections at International Jewellery London this year, including a debut watch offer available to pre-order at the show.

Here, Anchor & Crew ‘captain’, Andrew Warner, explains more about upcoming collections and what makes International Jewellery London such a vital trade show experience for his brand…

Q: For anyone who isn’t familiar with your brand, what can you tell us about it? 

AW: Designed and handmade in Great Britain, we combine naval heritage with a modern style and new vision. Our designers take inspiration from anchors, mechanical and nautical objects, recreating innovative and industrial designs of the past into modern-day jewellery.

We specialise in stylish rope bracelets, fashionable anchor bracelets and nautical silver jewellery, redefining a vintage style, all of which is totally unisex. When we started we targeted male customers but we have now evolved into a completely unisex brand that has customers ranging from 15-years-old to 60-years-old who love our different way of thinking.

Anchor & Crew Pembroke rope bracelets
Anchor & Crew Pembroke rope bracelets

Q: What can you tell us about the new collections you will be unveiling at International Jewellery London in September? 

AW: At IJL we will be launching a new range of leather bracelets along with extensions to our rope bracelet collections, all of which are currently being design and made. But our biggest launch will be our new watch range. With this we have five different designs available, two of which contain our rope on the dial. Each design is available in multiple dial colours with both brown and black leather straps with coloured stitching. In total there are over 80 different combinations available.

ANCHOR & CREW Watch Face
A preview of Anchor & Crew’s debut watch collection

Q: Why is International Jewellery London such an important date in your calendar, and what are your aims for this year’s show? 

AW: For us IJL is the premier jewellery and watch show in the UK and comes at the perfect time as retailers look to new brands for the run-up to the Christmas period. This will be our third time exhibiting and we are aiming to increase our sales like we have done on each of the previous times. We definitely feel this is the ideal place to be.

It will still be a challenge, however, given the current economic climate – Brexit, retail footfall down, to name but a few – but we will rise to it as we notice people looking for that something different that stands out from the crowd.

Say hello to Anchor & Crew at IJL 2016 from 4th-6th September at Olympia Grand. Find them on stand Q78.

Register to attend International Jewellery London here. 

Register in advance online for the chance to win either an exclusive Champneys Pamper Spa Day for two or an Aston Martin Thrill Day at a famous motor race circuit!

Industry, People

KickStart 2016: Meet emerging jewellery designer Marina Skia

by IJL • • 1 Comment

International Jewellery London’s annual KickStart initiative is aimed at emerging UK designers looking to take their business to the next level.

10 up-and-coming design talents have been selected by the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) and IJL to have the unique opportunity to showcase their jewellery at IJL 2016 on a group stand in the prestigious Design Gallery.

Here, KickStart finalist and People’s Choice winner, Marina Skia, reveals the inspiration behind her abstract jewellery designs and what she’s most looking forward to at IJL 2016…

Q: If you had to describe your brand in three words what words would you choose?

MS: Elegant, sophisticated and feminine.

Q: How did you get started in the jewellery industry and what is your educational background?

MS: Jewellery making started as a hobby while I lived in Athens and worked as a junior fashion editor for one of the biggest publication companies in Greece. I soon realized that designing and making jewellery is what I wanted to do so I left my work to study full time jewellery making in Athens. This was vocational training focusing almost entirely on traditional techniques such as filigree, granulation, repoussé etc. After that I continued my studies at Sir John Cass, London, where I got an MA in jewellery design and a year after my graduation I launched my own brand.

Marina Skia Art Deco 4
Art Deco Fluidity Gladiator cuff

Q: Can you explain a little bit more about your design style, your key collection(s) and the type of customer you are designing for?

MS: If I had to pick the strongest design element that would be abstraction. Regardless of all else, the process of developing the design is that of removing the ‘clutter’ and gradually arriving in a form that clearly references the initial inspiration, but with a level of sophistication that can’t be achieved when too much detail is present.

I am also very interested in surfaces, that is the qualities of material, texture and colour combined. The Black Waves collection was my first attempt in introducing this element into my designs and I expect it will have a more prominent role in future collections.

Marina Skia Black Waves 14
A necklace from the Art Deco Fluidity collection

My main source of inspiration comes from nature with the sea and water in general having a very special place in my heart; I think coming from Greece this is only natural! My pieces, even the most minimal ones are still quite bold and stand out. Therefore, the customers I have in mind when designing are strong, confident women who are not afraid to stand out and make their presence felt, but they do so with elegance, grace and self-assurance.

Q: What are the most challenging aspects of launching and growing a new brand in 2016?

MS: I think the most difficult challenge is being noticed in such a competitive market. There is so much talent and London, and the UK in general, is a great place to find a lot of very promising designers. I think the most important thing is to develop a strong brand identity, stay focused and be prepared that inevitable mistakes and failures are part of the journey. We just need to learn the lesson and move on.

Q: If you had a mentor in the jewellery industry what would you ask them and what advice would you benefit from in the short term?

MS: I am becoming more and more interested in different models of organising the production, working with manufacturers and, in general, finding people to collaborate with, so I would ask advice about that. I would also like to know what the pivotal moments in their carer were, the breaks they had that took their work and brand to another level, but also what were the biggest mistakes along the way.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about exhibiting at IJL 2016 and what do you hope to achieve?

MS: I am thrilled to be part of Kickstart, it is such a great platform to promote my work and my brand. My aim is to make new contacts with the press and retailers, to present my work to a large audience of professionals within the industry and raise awareness about Marina Skia Jewellery as a brand.

Q: Are there any types of retailers or stockists in particular that you are trying to attract?

MS: I am focusing both on department stores as well as smaller shops and boutiques looking for unique, quality work.

Find out more about the 2016 KickStarters.

Register to attend International Jewellery London here. 

Register in advance online for the chance to win either an exclusive Champneys Pamper Spa Day for two or an Aston Martin Thrill Day at a famous motor race circuit!

People

KickStart 2016: Meet Tiki founder Cécile Gilbert

by IJL •

International Jewellery London’s annual KickStart initiative is aimed at emerging UK designers looking to take their business to the next level.

10 up-and-coming design talents have been selected by the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) and IJL to have the unique opportunity to showcase their jewellery at IJL 2016 on a group stand in the prestigious Design Gallery.

Here, 2016 KickStart finalist Cécile Gilbert describes her brand ethos, inspirations and reveals what she would ask an industry mentor about establishing a jewellery brand in 2016…

Q: If you had to describe your brand in three words what words would you choose?

CG: Iconoclastic, Eye-Catching, Innovative.

Q: How did you get started in the jewellery industry?

CG: I am pretty much self-taught. I began working with reclaimed Bakelite which ignited my passion for working with cast plastics. As luck would have it, my local art college in Brighton ran a part-time resin and plastics course. I enrolled, learned the basics and experimented for a number of years. During this period I developed my own cutout and recasting techniques. I then took a series of evening classes in silversmithing in order to create quality fitments for my finished pieces.

Q: Can you explain a little bit more about your design style, your key collection(s) and the type of customer you are designing for?

CG: I have always loved the beautiful Art Deco Bakelite jewellery from 1920s and 30s. I wanted to create a contemporary range which would reflect the same qualities in shape, tactility and colour, whilst adding a 21st century sophistication. By mixing my own pigments and making my own moulds I am able to form intricate shaped pieces in a distinctive colour palette.

I am currently presenting three collections: Luxor, Zazou and Lunula. Inspired by the Art Deco movement, the Luxor collection is a reminder of the classic ‘Sun Ray’ pattern with a tribal influence. The pieces are cast in a distinctive, angular and elegant shape.

Zazou Cuff by Tiki
Zazou Cuff by Tiki

The Zazou collection takes inspiration from the subculture from the same name. ‘Zazous’ were the subversive teenagers of 1940s occupied France, they dressed in brightly coloured clothes and listened to Jazz. This collection plays with blocks of vibrant colours with bold stripes, creating geometric and abstract shapes.

The Lunula collection is inspired by circular forms and half-moon shapes. The design consists of half-half patterns, one half in solid colour, the other ornate with irregular, contrasting lines. I design for sophisticated women who enjoy wearing tactile, playful and bold jewellery. My pieces compliment classic dress and more fashion orientated habiliment.

Q: What are the most challenging aspects of launching and growing a new brand in 2016?

CG: One of the biggest challenges is firstly getting exposure to the right customers and innovative jewellery retailers. Secondly, the public perception of my main medium ‘polyester resin’. Many people are unaware of the medium and often mistake it for acrylic, this hinders resin being taken seriously as a precious material.

Finally, it’s a matter of finance. Launching a new brand takes a lot of energy and also a lot of funds. For many beginners, like myself, making is the easy part. The business part is the hardest and is a continuous learning curve.

Q: If you had a mentor in the jewellery industry what would you ask them?

CG: If I had a mentor, I would like to know about their experiences, how they got started and managed to successfully run their own brand in a world filled with so many designers. I’d also love to know their opinion on my work and any advice they have on tackling the crucial steps in developing from an unknown designer to an established one.

Q: Are there any types of retailers or stockists in particular that you are trying to attract?

CG: I hope that IJL 2016 helps me to reach a national and international audience, providing the exposure my brand needs to move forward. Direct response to my work from professionals would allow me to evaluate the future capacity and direction of my business.

Resin jewellery is currently a very niche market. I feel the potential of the material has yet to be fully explored and experimented with. I hope that my pieces show that resin can be transform into stylish and timeless jewels. I hope to attract the innovative jewellery shops, the established galleries as well as the more design orientated boutiques.

Find out more about the 2016 KickStarters.

Register to attend International Jewellery London here. 

Register in advance online for the chance to win either an exclusive Champneys Pamper Spa Day for two or an Aston Martin Thrill Day at a famous motor race circuit!