Nude Contemporary Jewellery Blog

 RSS Feed

Category: London Jewellery Boutique

  1. Thinking About A Bespoke Engagement Ring?

    Posted on

    Deciding to pop the question is a difficult and exciting prospect, especially if your not used to buying jewellery or not sure what her style of jewellery is. Here at Nude Jewellery we specialise in the unusual, quirky and contemporary engagement rings and love a challenge. Going bespoke is a great option because it means you can choose every aspect of the ring to make it special and unique.

    This blog post will give you guidance on the initial proposal ring and different style options to consider when deciding on the design.

    If you want to go bespoke but know your fiancé to be has a very distinctive taste that you usually get right but sometimes get very, very wrong, you might want to consider a stunt ring. Below are some humorous ideas such as 'The cable Tie,' rings by Ambre France or the 'Marry Me,' ring by Chris parry.

    Simple Elegance Stunt Ring

    cable tie rings by ambre france chris parry marry me ring

    yellow frosted rivoir engagement ring

    This yellow gold frosted diamond ring would be perfect for a inexpensive stunt ring its understated elegance and contrasting polished and matt finish can be worn to any occasion.
     

     Organic Style Engagement Ring

    In recent years more people are looking for a ring that you can't find on the high street, something unique that they wont see in the window of another jewellery shop. Organic styles are a great way to show personality whether it be a texture onto the metal, granulations or maybe rough cut gemstone.

     

    unique ruby handmade engagement ring

    Handmade Unique Platinum with Yellow Gold Engagement Ring

    crystal ring - 22ct gold plated silver with raw aquamarine crystals

    Unique Aquamarine Rough Cut Gemstone Engagement Ring

    green zircon ring

    Handmade Silver With Yellow Gold Unique Zircon Engagement Ring

     

    Dainty Engagement Rings

     

    This is a selection of beautiful dainty engagement rings that we have in store.

    white sapphire dainty engagement ring

    Dainty Rose Gold And White Sapphire Engagement Ring

    flower engagement ring

     

    Unusual Flower Diamond Engagement Ring

    curve diamond engagement ring

    Unusual Curved Diamond Engagement Ring

     
    Lots Of Sparkle
     
    Don’t want understated? Then having pave set diamonds will create head turning sparkle. These kind of rings look stunning next to the wedding ring.

    geo flower engagement ring

    Geo Flower Engagement Ring

    emerald cut diamond ring

    Emerald Cut Diamond Engagement Ring

     

    Why go for a simple solitaire when you could have one of these beautifully shaped unusual gemstones. Its the 21st century and with it comes lots of new interesting gemstone and diamond shapes that can be used in the design.

     

    Click To View Collection Of Unusual And Unique Engagement Rings

     

  2. Graduates in The Spotlight Vote 2014

    Posted on

    Graduates in the Spotlight

    We need help deciding which recent graduate should feature in our window! Check out their information and pictures then vote!

    Dovile Bertulyte

    Dovile Graduate Spotlight Finalist2

    Lithuanian born London based jewellery designer. In 2013 I graduated from Middlesex University. During four years of studies I embarked on an exploration of different materials, various techniques and exclusive designs. While studying I interned in three different European countries for renowned jewellers and artists. I also went to Jerusalem, Bezalel University of Arts and Design as an exchange student. This valuable experience gave me unique perception of the world and life itself that reflects in my work.

    The collection 'Fear Of Darkness is based on a common human fear nyctophobia. Fear of the dark is usually not fear of darkness itself, but of possible or imagined dangers concealed by darkness. The collection is made up of 5 initial pieces that each reflect emotions and feelings of a person who suffers from this phobia while being in the dark.

     

    The oxidised silver plated bronze hands trigger fear within our minds while we imagine the imaginary predator or monster is lurking in the dark just around the corner.

    Frank Luckham

    Frank Luckham Graduate Spotlight Finalist

    I would like to be featured in your graduate spotlight to show that contemporary jewellery does not have to be based on traditional ring styles of a circular shank with something added to it. My designs show that the shank (or hole) is an integral part of the design. My designs are also sculptural elements which when not worn, can be positioned and admired as mini sculptural forms. Initial inspiration was drawn from Barbara Hepworth sculpture.

    There also seems to be a misunderstanding that square rings are uncomfortable to wear or difficult to size. It would be nice to break this train of thought and let the buyer experience how these rings actually feel.

    Frank graduated in 2013 with a BA First Degree Honors in Silversmithing and Jewellery. His final work reflected the pierced form sculptural work of Barbara Hepworth and the Minimalist installations of Donald Judd.

     

    Frank specialises in making rings in sterling silver using traditional techniques, aiming to represent two defining characteristic design elements of Modernism and Minimalism - simplicity of form and the reductive.

    Agnieszka Maksymiuk

    Agnieszka Maksymiuk Graduates Spotlight

     

    At the moment I’m an Artist in Residence and visiting lecturer at School of Jewellery in Birmingham and at the same time I work as a jewellery designer/maker. My works are exhibited in a few galleries in England and Poland.I strongly believe that the support provided by the Nude Jewellery will help me to grow and promote my brand in many aspects. Being selected for “Graduates in the Spotlight” competition would be an amazing opportunity to launch my jewellery and ideas into a professional environment and a great progression for my business . It would be a real honour to be part of this prestigious  central London boutique. I create small sculptures that become wearable pieces of art.
    The collection is about the relationship between the urban and the natural world in different places and cultures inspired by the landscapes of England and Poland. The main objective is to catch the essence and potential of the particular place and tell the viewer a story which is hidden behind each piece.

    The 3D designs are hand carved with great skill from two dimensional drawings and paintings. The astonishing outcomes are a result of a formal training in Poland at the Academy of Fine Art and the School of Jewellery in Birmingham.

    We need help deciding which recent Jewellery graduate should feature in our window!

     

    Check out their information and pictures then vote!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

     

  3. The History of the Engagement Ring

    Posted on

    History of the Engagement Ring

     

    Ancient Rome

    The Engagement ring can reliably be traced back to ancient Rome, however some historians say early man tied plaited circlets around the bride's wrists and ankles to keep her spirit from running away.

    Ancient Rome had a few traditions such as in the second century BC the bride to be was given two engagement rings, a gold one she wore in public and an iron one she wore at home while doing the housework. Another tradition that symbolised ownership by the groom was to give their prospective wife a ring attached to small keys that belonged to him. We found these pictures of early Roman 'Key Rings' there is no mention that these were engagement rings but they are extraordinary beautiful and at the time very useful as the Romans did not have many pockets for their keys! History of the Engagement Ring Iron Key Rings 

    In Rome and many countries the engagement ring was worn on the 3rd finger on the left hand because they believed that it contained a vein that led to the heart therefore the ring would be connected to the heart to symbolise love and a long healthy marriage.

     

    A Roman iron engagement ring

    History of the Engagement Ring Iron Rings

      Diamond Engagement Ring History

     

    The ornate and sentimental Victorians popularized engagement rings with mixed precious metals, enamels gemstones and diamonds. They would often be made into intricate patterns and flowers you can see a great collection of this type of jewellery at the Cheapside Hoard exhibition in London.

    http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/london-wall/whats-on/exhibitions-displays/cheapside-hoard-londons-lost-jewels/

    Diamond rings crafted during the Edwardian era continued the tradition of pairing diamonds with other jewels, commonly mounted in filigree settings. Diamonds were too rare and expensive for the less wealthy citizens until the discovery of diamonds in south Africa in 1870, where the De Beers company became the sole owner of these mines.

    Diamond engagement rings however are quite a recent innovation first becoming popular in 1930's, by 1965, 80 percent of all new brides in the united states owned one.

      The Eureka Diamond

    We found this great story of how the first diamond was discovered in South Africa which is now the diamond capital of the world.

    It began with a 15 year old boy named Erasmus Jacobs whose father owned a farm on the orange river near Hopetown.

    Erasmus had helped his dad unclog a water pipe by finding a long stick, after he had found the perfect stick he sat under a tree to rest and spotted something shining in the heated afternoon sun.

    He went over and saw it was a stone and picked it up and placed it in his pocket. After helping his father he started to play “5 stones” with the diamond, his mother noticed the shine and mentioned it to their neighbour, Shalk Van Niekerk. He was intrigued by the stone and offered to buy it from Erasmus who instead of selling it gave it to him saying “you can keep the stone if you want it,” little did he know this was now to be known as the whopping 21.25 carat Eureka Diamond.

    History of the Engagement Ring Rough Diamond Image