Tagged with 'Treat yourself'

Winterson, the online luxury brand specialising in pearl jewellery, and Sophie Breitmeyer, the award-winning young British jewellery designer, announce the launch of a colourful new collection of contemporary pearl earrings and pendants for 2011/12. The unique collection brings together two key trends with the combination of vibrant block gemstone colours and classic pearls.

Sophie Breitmeyer, a graduate of Central St Martins, was recently described by Vogue Italia as "a new talent to watch" and was previously a winner of the Bright Young Gems award in 2010. Since graduating, she has developed a strong following for her creative approach to design and her combinations of unusual stones and different coloured golds. Sophie recently collaborated on a catwalk collection with design duo Fyodor Golan, winners of the Fashion Fringe award at London Fashion Week this September, and has worked with Amber Le Bon on her collections.

The collection for Winterson is designed to be highly wearable for the daytime and for the evening. Three new jewellery designs for a pearl stud earring, a pearl drop earring and a pearl pendant combine colourful circles of gemstones such as pink rubies, blue sapphires and green tsavorite garnets to create nine individual pieces.

At the centre of each design is a classic Akoya Pearl, a white saltwater pearl that was one of the very first pearls to be cultured in Japan and is widely admired for its quality and lustre. The pearls are hand selected by Winterson for this collection, which is finished in 18 carat white gold and manufactured to the highest standards in Britain.

Starting at retail prices from £945, this new collection designed by Sophie Breitmeyer is exclusively available today from Winterson online.

Begin the day at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues on the corner of Lake Geneva. This hotel has been a city landmark since 1834 with its affluent setting and breathtaking views. Breakfast is a rich and creamy croissant, dipped in a frothy cappuccino. To match the quiet and sophisticated atmosphere, wear a pearl necklace, perhaps white freshwater pearls with a diamond clasp.

If you are visiting on November 11 or 12th, do not miss a once in a lifetime opportunity to see one of the world's most famous pearls La Peregrina, which is on display at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues as part of the international tour celebrating Elizabeth Taylor's  life and collections.

The oldest part of the town is a short promenade away over the Pont des Bergues to the South Bank, also known as the Rive Gauche. The Rue du Marché and its adjacent streets are filled with the most famous and luxurious jewellers and watchmakers in the world. Stop to browse at the latest jewellery and watch trends from Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Bulgari, de Grisogono and Adler. Wear an Akoya pearl necklace as pearl jewellery stays in style beyond a season's trends.

For lunch, climb up to Brasserie LIPP, just off the main shopping street. This buzzing restaurant is renowned in the city for its seafood menu and Autumn is ideal for eating oysters. If the Autumn sun is kind, climb further into the heart of the old town. Coffee on the terrace of the Café du Bourg de Four is a relaxing way to absorb the historical charm of Geneva.

From the heights of the old town, drop down towards Place Neuve for a short walk to the Patek Phillippe Museum. The museum is located in a beautifully renovated building, dating from the early 20th century, and here you discover the history and craftsmanship of this prestigious watchmaker.

Finally, finish the day by booking a table at the Café des Bains, a contemporary restaurant and bar. The cosy and simple design is a reminder of the ‘bistrot de quartier’ that this neighbourhood favourite used to be. To enjoy with a delicious dinner, wear our modern Tahitian pearl earrings.

Autumn in Geneva is wonderful, but our next stop is Paris...

There are as many types of pearl earrings as there are candies in a sweet shop: round, oval or baroque pearls, white, pink, silver or black pearls, studs and drops, diamonds or precious stones.

Pearls have a unique characteristic of capturing and reflecting light, which means they will match with almost any colour or look. Choosing which pearl earrings to wear on which occasion might give you a sugar rush, so here is a simple guide to choosing and wearing pearl earrings.

PEARL EARRINGS FOR EVERY DAY

Amongst all the earrings in a women’s jewellery box, the simple yet elegant white Akoya pearl earring is the earring of choice for everyday wear. Stud earrings are also so comfortable that you can almost forget that you are wearing them.

For a relaxed style we would recommend choosing a pearl that is not too large for your ear. If you have more petite features, consider a stud with a 6-7mm diameter pearl or if you have more pronounced features consider an 8-9mm diameter pearl. If you prefer a bolder look, why not try larger button shaped pearl earrings? Button pearl studs can be easily worn in sizes over 9mm for a more contemporary style, without pulling on the ear.

One of our preferred pearl earrings is the pink pearl earring stud, which is a fun alternative to white. Pink Freshwater pearl earrings look absolutely amazing if you are wearing red, pink or purple clothes or accessories.

PEARL EARRINGS FOR AN EVENING OUT

If you are looking for the ultimate evening pearl earrings to wear with a little black dress, consider South Sea pearls. These pearls have an ice-white or golden silky shine and are typically found in larger sizes of over 10mm diameter. A simple South Sea pearl earring is quite beautiful, and even more so when matched with diamonds. Diamonds and pearls have long been a girl’s best friends as the sharp sparkle of diamonds works beautifully with the soft warm lustre of pearls.

If you are looking for a more contemporary evening style, consider wearing Tahitian pearl earrings with their dark and more exotic colours. Their baroque shapes and peacock colours will also make unique and envied pearl earrings.

PEARL EARRINGS FOR THE OFFICE

Powerful political and business women are frequently seen wearing pearls. The classic white pearl will bring a discreet, yet polished touch to any suit or business attire. We would recommend Akoya pearl earrings for the office as these pearls are more often perfectly round and are known for their strong lustre and quality.

Finally, if you are looking for that difficult corporate casual look, why not try a drop earring? These retain their tasteful discretion whilst still catching the eye with a gentle movement.

Sophie graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and, after having won a Goldsmiths Bursary in 2009, won a Bright Young Gems award in 2010, judged by Hilary Alexander of the Daily Telegraph, Vivienne Becker of FT's How to Spend it and Jessica Diamond of Wallpaper magazine. Since then her work has been featured in GQ and Vogue, as well as working with a number of established jewellery designers and brand names in the UK.

The inspiration behind Sophie Breitmeyer's own beautiful collections is drawn from looking at surface patterns and shapes within architecture and the flow and structure in dresses from fashion. With a great-grandfather who once was a diamond dealer at DeBeers, and later opened his own business in Hatton Garden in London, jewellery is part of the family heritage. Sophie complements each piece of her own designs with exotic precious stones. We love her signature ruffle style seen pictured above.

As well as her own work as a jewellery designer  Sophie, happily for us, has a keen interest in pearls:

"To make these new pieces for Winterson to be timeless meant not only being inspired by the new but also the old. Therefore as well as being influenced by current fashions for the use of block colour, the pearls that we have chosen for this collection are Japanese Akoya Pearls. These pearls are traditionally known for their fine quality and lustre and are a beautiful match for the gemstones that we have chosen: rubies, sapphires and tsavorite garnets.

In recent years the use of these iconic Japanese pearls has also been surpassed by the availability of Freshwater pearls from China. A lot of my influence with this collection was derived from the idea of bringing Akoya Pearls back to the forefront of jewellery design.

For this collection, which is made for Winterson in the UK, we have used the latest in design and jewellery manufacturing processes to ensure the highest quality finish possible for each piece."

Sophie Breitmeyer's collection of earrings and pendants will be available at Winterson early this Autumn.  Which one will be your favourite ?

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.

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.

Jewellers have worked with diamonds and pearls for hundreds of years and even today this is an adored combination of gems.

There is an astonishing choice of gemstones available to designers, including precious stones such as sapphires, emeralds and rubies, and semi-precious stones such as amethyst, topaz and peridot, so why is it that diamonds and pearls continue to be two of a girl’s best friends?

Diamonds have a remarkable appearance. They appear pure, translucid, nearly colourless and reflect incredible sparkles of light. Pearls are made with an equally exquisite material called nacre. They appear silky to the touch and smooth with a dazzling iridescence and overtones of colour. The unique synergy of diamonds and pearls creates a captivating elegance that is quite unrivalled.

Depending on the culture and the period in time, there are many traditional symbols associated with the matching of diamonds with pearls. Diamonds represent strength, purity, love and eternity, whilst pearls are symbols of good luck, chastity, innocence and friendship. With this symbolic history, it is easy to understand why diamonds and pearls are a perfect choice for bridal jewellery or wedding .

A white Freshwater pearl necklace  can also be finished with a clasp set with diamond pave, and is versatile enough to be worn either for evening or business occasions. For a more relaxed every day look, pearl pendants and earrings can be mounted with sparkling diamonds for a twist of glamour.

If you love this combination of gems, view a selection from our Diamonds and Pearls collection.

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.

So celebrate by entering the Winterson Love to Give competition to win this stunning multi-coloured Freshwater pearl bracelet, a gorgeous classic piece of jewellery made with 7-7.5mm multi-coloured freshwater pearls and finished with an 18 carat yellow gold lobster clasp.

The rules of the competition are very simple.  All you have to do is complete all of these 3 steps:

1. Follow @WintersonPearls on Twitter

2. Tweet "Love to Give...enter the @WintersonPearls competition to win a pearl bracelet http://bit.ly/gX7sni"

3. Leave a comment here on the blog to say that you have entered. Remember to leave your Twitter name so that we can contact you.

We will choose the winner at random on 14th February 2011 at 6pm.

The giveaway is only open to UK residents only. The competition prize is offered with no cash alternative, with only one entry allowed for each entrant. The competition closes at 6pm on 14th February 2011 and no entrants will be considered after this time. The winner will be notified within 7 days of the competition closing.

By entering this prize draw, you agree that Winterson has permission to retain your details for future marketing purposes. All entrants are bound by these terms and conditions.

Good luck !

Pearls really enjoy being worn and warm up gently next to the skin. Pearls are, however, also sensitive and can be damaged by acidity. We strongly recommend that you should always put your pearls on after the application of any body lotion, hairspray or perfume.

Cleaning pearls should follow a very simple routine. Wipe your pearls with a slightly damp, clean cloth so as to remove any perspiration or perfume.

There is no need to use any special chemicals or treatment.

After cleaning, store your pearls in a special box or silk pouch and avoid placing them in a jewellery box where they might be scratched by other pieces of jewellery.

Finally, give your pearls an annual check-up with a jewellery specialist that includes professional cleaning of the pearls if they are worn often and restringing if the thread is becoming stretched, discoloured or frayed.

Follow these simple rules and your pearls should give you much pleasure. If you have any questions on pearl care, we’d love to hear from you.

For more information read our Pearl Guide on Caring for Pearls here.