Category: Designer Jewellery

1. New Designers - At The Business Design Centre 2014

   Posted on 10:00am Tuesday 1st Jul 2014

   On Wednesday after a very hectic press day the Nude team headed to New Designers at The Business Design Centre in Islington. Here is our pick of some of the best new jewellery talent....

   At Nude Jewellery we love unusual engagement rings and looking for new concepts and techniques using gemstones. We discovered Lindsay Hill at new designers and were drawn in by her bold symmetrical structures with contrasting emerald gemstones. She is currently exploring the use of kinetic settings which pushes the boundaries from the role of the traditional stone setting techniques.

   Joanna Bury's eclectic range of bold statement pieces caught our eyes. inspired by modern urban culture; patterns within the asian cultures and tattooing, Joanna's jewellery has alluring tribal patterns etched out of metal and perspex. She enjoys the way the pattern could be projected onto the skin through reflection, light or shadow creating a removable tattoo. I had to drag Nikki away from trying on her pieces as we only had 20 minutes to see the rest of the exhibition!

   We came across Stefanie Cheong and her beautiful jewellery collection in the 'One Year On' area of new designers, she was very passionate and loved explaining her work to us. In her current collection she uses natural resources and objects found in Scotland, then using different techniques such as electroforming, patination and stone cutting transforms the raw materials into wearable jewellery. She feels strongly about using materials that are not harmful to the environment or the lives of others and ensures she uses eco silver and gold. Stefanie's ethos is 'Anything can be a jewel'

   Joy Bonfield's jewellery is a mix of classic and contemporary. She sculpts the human figure or head and then deconstructs and distorts parts. 'I am inspired by the progressive disfigurement of classical sculptures. Over time these bodies lose heads, limbs or torsos, yet retain their attraction, the absence of parts completing a fuller picture of the human form in the mind’s eye.' She challenges the functionality of sculpture and the wearability of jewellery with this beautifully sculptural handcrafted modern collection.

   Monique Daniels jewellery is sharp and sophisticated, Geometric shapes layer up to create a kinetic illusion. Each piece is made with precision and combines modern and fine jewellery techniques. "Linear framing and geometric structures provide the foundation of my inspiration, drawing upon the mathematical qualities of polyhedrons, the latest collection named ‘Polyhedra’ translates as ‘many-surfaces’ focusing on layering and repetition of angles and interlocking radial lines within octagons and triangles."

    

   Colourful and tactile Kelly Munro's sterling silver, wood and mixed material jewellery brightened up our day. Each piece has a slightly different colour scheme and the customer can customize their necklace to whatever colour they desire, the burnt patternation creates a bold statement. Kelly is inspired by her homeland of Scotland where she is from a town that is well know for its fishing history, she draws inspiration from the abandon ports and lobster pots.     With only a short amount of time to look around the exhibition we were overwhelmed with the vast amount of new talent and hope to be showcasing some of these collections in the near future.

2. Our visit to London Fashion Week

   Posted on 2:30pm Tuesday 18th Feb 2014

    

   Well, as London Fashion Week arrives stealthily upon us once more, (it always seems to come around so quickly!) we decided to sashay on down to Somerset House to get a little peek of what’s in store over the coming seasons. 

    

   After circumnavigating the LFW catwalk tent and wading through a sea of carefully preened fashionistas, we collected our entry passes and headed for the Rock Vault.

    

   The bubbles were obviously flowing freely as we were unable to find a champagne flute for love nor money, luckily we managed to convince the barman to dispense our tipple into a water glass which, judging by his reaction was against the rules but suited us just fine!

    

   The Rock Vault made it’s debut in 2012 and has been going from strength to strength ever since. now entering it’s fourth season, it has become a solid ‘must see’ at LFW. Supported by the British Fashion Council and curated by Stephen Webster, the east corner of Somerset House is commandeered by ten of the newest and coolest UK jewellers showcasing their precious wares to London’s most fashionable.

    

   Rock Vault 2014 certainly did not disappoint. The shortlisted exhibitors have been excellently selected this season. Each designers style was varying and individual, leaving them to shine on their own without being overshadowed by each other. The collections covered a broad spectrum, from the more organic, irregular creations of Imogen Belfield to the crisp, clean, minimalism of Sophie Bille Brahe’s modern take on pearls. Pearls, in fact, seem to have been given a new lease of life. With several of the designers using them in more contemporary and refreshing ways.

    

   Needless to say, our attention was firmly drawn to more than a couple of the designers work. So, watch this space, you never know which of this seasons ‘Rock Vaulter’s’ may make an appearance in the Nude spotlight in the future. Excited? We know we are! 

3. What you need to know about the 4c's...

   Posted on 1:02pm Tuesday 13th Aug 2013

    

   

   The 4c's are a universal grading system for diamonds that is in place to keep consistency within the diamond industry. Developed by the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA), diamonds purchased within jewellers often come with a GIA certificate describing the diamond in terms of the 4c's.

   Colour

   

   • The less colour, the higher the value

   This of course refers to 'colourless' diamonds and not to fancy-coloured diamonds (pinks and blues) that lie outside of the colour scale discussed here. The scale refers to body colour of the diamond which may be completely lacking in colour (the ideal) or may feature hints of yellow or brown. The scale runs from D to Z, with D being completely colourless and Z exhibiting light colour. Even though the colour difference may be subtle it does have a profound impact on the value of the stone.

   Clarity

   

   • Natural imperfections

   Diamonds are formed within the mantle of the earth and pushed to the surface during volcanic eruptions. A diamond completely free from inclusions or blemishes is quite rare and the clarity grade refers to the size, nature and location of these imperfections.

   Flawless-Internally Flawless (FL - IF) no inclusions are visible using a 10x lens, very rare

   Very, very slight inclusions (VVS1 – VVS2) difficult to see inclusions with 10x lens, excellent quality

   Very slight inclusions (VS1 – VS2) difficult to see inclusions with 10x lens
   

   Slight inclusions (SI1 – SI2) easy to find with 10x lens but difficult to see with naked eye
   

   Inclusions (I1 – I3) may be seen by naked eye

   

   Carat

   • 1 carat = 0.2 grams

   Carat is the unit of weight that is used for diamonds, it is not necessarily representative of it's size.  A small difference in carat weight can greatly affect the price of the diamond.

   Cut

   • The cut for a diamond has been mathematically pre-determined

   Diamonds have a complex relationship with light, cut too shallow the light falls straight through, cut too deep and the light struggles to reflect back to the eye, generally moving out of the side of the stone. Diamonds have optimum angles that they must be cut at to produce maximum brilliance and dispersion – this is what gives them their sparkle!

   Cut grades are classified as:

   Excellent - Very Good - Good – Fair - Poor

    

   At Nude Jewellery we can source a variety of diamonds for your bespoke commission.  For information on bespoke diamond pieces or for general advice regarding diamonds please call our customer service advisors on 07957 371 254