News & Events

One of the most popular areas on the Winterson website is our designer jewellery, where we showcase our new ranges of Winterson pearl jewellery designed in collaboration with talented established and up and coming jewellery designers.

We are very excited that the first of these ranges is now underway with Sophie Breitmeyer, who recently graduated from Central Saint Martins with a BA in Jewellery design.

Her creative approach to combining unusual stones and different coloured gold led Sophie to be short listed for the 2010 Bright Young Gems competition judged by Hilary Alexander of the Daily Telegraph, Vivienne Becker of FT's How To Spend It and Jessica Diamond of Wallpaper magazine.

We asked Sophie about her inspiration, working with pearls and the new Winterson collection:

"As a jewellery designer I am inspired by the world around us and the way in which we have built and designed it. Both fashion and architecture have always interested me, in both the modern and traditional aspects. I often use these influences to inspire my collections' shape and form. Having been lucky enough to travel when I am not working, I find that a lot of influence and inspiration can come from the culture and craft that I have seen in other countries around the world.

Pearls are a very underrated precious stone, yet can often be one of the most exciting and dynamic. I have designed this collection as I design all of my work, with three things in mind, the finished piece must be unique, classic and desirable. These are what I believe every woman looks for when she buys or is bought a piece of jewellery.

I have taken my influences for this designer jewellery collection for Winterson from the current fashion season's use of block colour, being simple yet elegant. To make these pieces timeless meant not only being inspired by the new, but also the old."

We can't wait to show you the collection by Sophie Breitmeyer for Winterson in the Autumn.

Christies have announced this week that jewellery from the estate of the late Elizabeth Taylor will be auctioned this Autumn. In honour of the celebrated film star and fashion icon, pieces from the collection will tour a series of special events, including stops in London, Paris and Geneva.

Elizabeth Taylor was a renowned collector of jewellery and a selection of her Legendary Jewels will go to auction on 13th December. Proceeds from the events and sales will be donated to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which has provided humanitarian funding and assistance to those living with AIDS and HIV since 1991.

One of the most famous pieces in the collection is La Peregrina, one of the most historic and remarkable natural tear drop shaped pearls ever found. Weighing in at a staggering 55 carats, this pearl was discovered in the 16th century and given as a wedding gift to Queen Mary I by Phillip II of Spain.

After a period of ownership in France by Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, it was sold by his exiled nephew to Lord Hamilton, Marquess of Abercorn in England.

It remained in the Hamilton family until 1969 until it was bought by Richard Burton as a Valentine Gift to Elizabeth Taylor. The pearl was reset by Cartier as a pendant to a stunning necklace of pearls, rubies and diamonds.

It is not known yet if La Peregrina will tour with other items from Elizabeth Taylor's collection. If so, this will be a unique opportunity to view one of the most celebrated pearls in history.

UPDATE

Dates for The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor Exhibition Taylor tour have now been announced, with the jewellery, fashion, art and memorabilia visiting Christie's, London 24-26th September 2011.

London Jewellery Week starts in just over two weeks, a treasure trove and celebration of beautiful design and luxury jewellery. If you have not attended before, there is a range of events and activities showcasing emerging designers, studio drop-ins and hands on demonstrations.

Be sure to also visit Treasure, the flagship design exhibition that runs from 10th to 12th June. We'll be looking out for designs with pearls by Lilly Hastedt, Leyla Abdollahi and Natalia Schroder, a winner of Professional Jeweller's annual Treasure competition with her stunning pearl ring.

London Jewellery Week runs from 6th - 12th June and all the information on the best events can be found here.

Since 1912, the pearl has been recognised as the modern birthstone for June by the Jewelers of America, a celebration gift of pearl jewellery providing safety and fortune. By date, the pearl also happens to be the birthstone for the Cancer and Gemini zodiac signs.

Traditional birthstones were based on the months of the Gregorian Calendar and did not include the pearl at all.  The traditional birthstone for June is agate, a semi-precious stone. Why today do we celebrate the meaning of a pearl ?

From very ancient times, pearls were regarded as objects possessing mystical properties, associated with gods, lightning bolts and dragons.  In literature, pearls have also represented symbols of purity, happiness and tears. In both Europe and Asia, ground pearls have been used as medicine with special healing powers to help with eye disease, leprosy and even childbirth.

The beauty of a pearl, direct from nature, has captivated the world for centuries. If it is your birthday this June, why not celebrate with a pearl !

She chose not to wear a necklace yesterday but, with an iconic dress designed by Sarah Burton for the British House of Alexander McQueen that beautifully referenced the elegance of Grace Kelly, there was surely no need.

Instead Kate Middleton chose to wear the diamond Halo Tiara, given to the Queen on her 18th birthday by her father King George VI, and a pair of stunning bespoke oak leaf and acorn motif diamond drop earrings by Robinson Pelham in London.

 

With an event as symbolic as a Royal Wedding, family members and guests alike chose a selection of historic and contemporary jewellery and accessories. We loved Samantha Cameron's statement costume necklace by Erickson Beamon and even the couple's Aston Martin. But our clear favourite was the Queen with her choice of a beautiful pearl necklace, pearl drop earrings and the Queen Mary’s True Lovers Knot brooch that matched the occasion in royal fashion.

 

Many congratulations to the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

The flags are decorating the Mall and Buckingham Palace already. There will surely be a lot of red, white and blue confetti in London next week!

Keen royal watchers, fashion observers and the world's press will eagerly be looking for their first glimpse of Kate Middleton. What jewellery will the new Princess Catherine be wearing at Westminster Abbey and will she choose pearls for a Royal Wedding?

For centuries a white pearl has come to represent perfection, purity and love. The wearing of a pearl tiara, necklace or earrings is an elegant addition to any bride’s jewellery and the British Royal Family has helped define this tradition over many years.

At the wedding of the future Queen Elizabeth II in 1947, the then King George VI and Queen Elizabeth gave her a present of a pair of pearl necklaces. The Queen Anne and Queen Caroline necklaces consist of 46 and 50 pearls respectively, but on the day of the wedding to Prince Philip the necklaces were almost forgotten. The Princess Elizabeth’s Private Secretary was despatched to retrieve them safely from St James Palace.

At the marriage of Diana Spencer to Prince Charles, the Queen gave a wedding present to Princess Diana of a diamond tiara called the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara. The tiara was made by Garrard, the crown jewellers, in 1914 for Queen Mary and consisted of an open diamond lattice hung with 19 white pearl drops. Although the Princess wore the Spencer family tiara to her wedding, she wore the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara on many occasions subsequently.

Both Sarah Ferguson and Sophie, Countess of Wessex also wore necklaces of cultured pearls for their wedding day.

Will the new Princess Catherine follow this magnificent history and choose to wear pearls for her royal wedding? Or will she surprise us all? We will have to wait and see!

Winterson is a luxury British jewellery brand, specialising in classic and contemporary pearl jewellery.

With a successful family heritage and expertise of working with pearls for over 50 years, we select the highest quality pearls and jewellery designs so that you can be very confident of the items that we offer. We do hope that you will always enjoy and treasure them.

Over the coming weeks and months with this Journal, we will take you on an informative and enjoyable introduction to Winterson and one of nature’s most precious possessions - the pearl.

Our love of pearls goes back for centuries. Until as recently as 200 years ago, long before the diamond and ruby became fashionable, the pearl was the world’s favourite precious gem. One of the earliest pearl necklaces found in Western Iran has been dated to 2,300 BC. Since early times, the pearl’s brilliant shine and glow has captivated cultures across the world, from China to Egypt, and from the Persian Gulf to Peru, inspiring traditions, myths and ancient legends about this wonderful gem.

The Roman emperors attempted to increase the pearl’s exclusivity and allure by banning the wearing of pearls by women under the age of 55. Fortunately, that is no longer the case today and iconic women throughout history such as Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, Coco Chanel, Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Diana have been famous and notable wearers of pearl jewellery.

More recently, the diversity of pearl colours and shapes available today allows designers to create truly stunning and fashionable jewellery. Today’s celebrities and leaders of fashion such as Anna Wintour, Michelle Obama, Nicole Kidman, Cheryl Cole, Dame Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Angelina Jolie have shown us how to look elegant with pearls.

Our online Winterson store will open in early November 2010. We look forward to welcoming you and invite you to view our Collections.