be adorned: OUR BUYERS’ GUIDE TO JEWELLERY

Words: Thea Bichard

Jewellery is always a classic gift, no matter the occasion, and right now designers are looking past the usual stones and costume styles. We spoke to a few of these gold-standard brands, along with our own sterling jewellery buying team, to guide us through the latest trends and tastes and help you pick out the perfect trinket.

“Jewellery right now is all about being playful, experimental and a representation of you!” says Selfridges Accessories Buyer Sarah Cartwright. For those who enjoy the bright and the bold, current jewellery trends include an intriguing treasure chest of cartoonish enamel (CC: Wilhelmina Garcia’s rings), colourful squiggles at Bea Bongiasca, gobstopper-sized stones by Monies and eyebrow-raising forms. Anissa Kermiche (maker of that Love Handles vase) specialises in the latter, creating designs that prompt double-takes – think posteriors as pendants, too-rude-to-print gestures on gold necklaces, and everyday objects reimagined in miniature.

The stacking trend has reached smelting point – it even has it own hashtag. Missoma’s founder, Marisa Hordern, and her team are fully embracing ‘#neckmess’ and swear by the following stacking tips when picking out pieces: “start with a base chain, add length and then throw a textured or statement piece into the mix to draw the eye.” She’s keen to emphasise, though, that “there are no rules… if you overthink it, it’s less fun!” As well as adding a few Axiom chains to your wish list, look to one of our Project Earth designers, Tilly Sveaas, who works with artisans in Bali to create timeless chains and bracelets. “Play around with scale and don’t be afraid to mix really chunky with superfine,” she recommends. “There are no rules when it comes to wearing gold and silver together, and I think the mix of metals works incredibly well. Wrists should be full of links and bangles and heavily adorned!”

When we say these pieces of jewellery have you written all over them, we really mean it. Personalised jewellery has been on our radar for a while now, with designers becoming increasingly inventive about turning the alphabet into extraordinary pieces. Otiumberg works with recycled materials, transforming end-of-life products, old jewellery and industrial scrap into treasured charms. Co-founder Rosanna Wollenberg explained the lasting charm (pun intended) of its designs, “We are all about self-expression and building a collection that can be reimagined season to season, never discarded.” Alternatively, for non-traditional wordsmiths, see how Bjorg’s gold-plated female figures spell out the alphabet, or get creative with WALD Berlin’s bracelet kits.

In ancient times, people wore jewellery as talismans, and today we’re still drawn to designs with a symbolic stone or astrological symbol to complement someone’s character. Konstantina Pantelous, founder of Hermina Athens, draws on Greek mythology to create precious gifts with hidden meaning. “For many occasions, we just want to get a message through, and this can be done by choosing the right symbol. That could be the Kressida evil eye for protection from bad energy, the Hygieia for health, Achilles for endurance and strength, Tyche for good luck or maybe one of our tarots,” she says. Then, from the mythological to the mystical, there’s Crystal Haze, whose “array of Selfridges exclusive charms allow you to channel what you need,” as Selfridges Assistant Buyer Isobelle Wright puts it.