Tagged with 'London'

Pearls seemed to be as popular as ever this year with designers inspired by in fashion trends for modern vintage, hints of colourful gemstones such as rubies and Art Deco styling.

This beautiful ring named Enchanted caught our eye, with its sweep of diamonds giving way to a gorgeous Tahitian Pearl. It is designed by Andrew Geoghegan, an award winning designer of contemporary engagement rings based in the UK. If you like this, be sure to also have a look at his stunning fire opal Satellite cocktail ring, which won the Editor's Choice Award for Visual Impact at IJL.

Elsewhere in the show, it was good to see work by Fernando Jorge and Hattie Rickards being recognised in the Bright Young Gems gallery. Chosen by a panel of leading industry editors and experts including Hilary Alexander of The Daily Telegraph and Vivienne Becker of the FT’s How To Spend It, this initiative gives future design stars a prestigious platform to showcase their work.

Fernando Jorge's flowing and organic jewellery is highly sensual, using individually cut Brazilian stones to create his unusual and ambiguous pieces such as his Fluid Chandelier earrings.

Hattie Rickards studied jewellery design at Central Saint Martins before moving back from New York to launch her own brand. Her first collection features ethical gold, roughcut stones and spinning barrels of gems and, as with the pieces by Andrew Geoghegan and Fernando Jorge, also embodies forms of movement and kinetics.

These were just a few of the highlights for us. A great event this year with much to admire...

It’s August in London and it can be a wonderful time to visit the city. If you are planning some shopping, here is a short guide on the best places to visit and how to wear pearls in Mayfair and St James.

Begin the day in style with a grandiose breakfast at The Wolseley on Piccadilly. Originally commissioned in 1921 as a prestigious car showroom, The Wolseley has been a destination café restaurant since 2003 that exudes the charm of a European Grand Café. At breakfast the atmosphere is classic and exquisite so wear a long rope pearl necklace, perhaps in grey to match the modern restoration.

Cross Piccadilly, via the historic Burlington Arcade, towards Bond Street's luxury jewellers and fashion houses displaying their most sought after jewellery and latest fashions. For more contemporary choice and design make a short detour to the Dover Street Market, an inspirational and unique store for anyone obsessive about style.

Turn into Maddox Street towards Pollen Street for lunch at the Pollen Street Social. Jason Atherton's new restaurant is a both a modern meeting place and a fabulous place for a relaxed lunch. Wear a baroque Tahitian pearl bracelet with its shimmering black pearls.

Fill your afternoon with art by catching the last days of the annual Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy. This is the largest open contemporary art exhibition in the world and this year Michael Craig-Martin is curating one of the largest galleries. We love the exhibition and it's the perfect place to wear a classic Akoya pearl set with a pearl necklace, bracelet and stud earrings.

Finally, finish the day off with some glamour in the heart of Knightsbridge at Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. The bistro bar is beautiful and the red leather banquettes welcoming to collapse into. The dress code says Smart Casual, but only diamonds and pearls can match the atmosphere. Wear a golden South Sea pearl necklace with a stunning and sparkling diamond pave ball clasp.

Next stop.....a short guide to Geneva for the Autumn.

Central Saint Martins is the renowned art and fashion college of the University of the Arts London, Europe’s largest centre for education in art, communication, design and performance.

The College has a truly outstanding list of alumni including fashion designer Sarah Burton, artist Antony Gormley and jewellers Theo Fennell and David Morris. Many of the UK’s up and coming jewellery designers graduate through its doors each year.

Central Saint Martins is currently located across 11 old buildings on six different sites in London, but in Autumn later this year the College will be integrating most of its schools into a purpose building at King’s Cross, London.

The £170m redevelopment for the art school will occupy a group of industrial buildings and train sheds, transformed into modern spectacular spaces to serve the College’s future needs.

For more than 150 years, Central Saint Martins has been a pioneer in teaching and learning of art and design. Supporters of the move believe that bringing together the different artistic disciplines under one roof will create a dynamic and rich environment with unique opportunities for collaboration. Its critics are concerned whether the new location and environment will have an impact on the creative spirit and heritage of the school.

We are excited to discover the work of the next generations of Central Saint Martins graduates and hope the College with its world-class teachers will continue to thrive in its new surroundings. Later this year, we plan to introduce a new range of designer jewellery to Winterson, designed in collaboration with one of its graduates. More news on that soon!

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.

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!

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.