Charlotte.

What better way to grab your attention at a jewellery show stand than having women and men in outrageously bright and large dresses and suits....on stilts!This company definitely put on a show for Inhorgenta - a jewellery trade fair of world class I visited last February. The companies here did presentation like nothing ive ever seen before from the Pandora stand with a free bar and restaurant and a german folk band strolling around to the Crosslinks stand who hung their jewellery from branches within a glass box of lizards!

   However the Charlotte stand was one of the first I came across that really caught my eye. Each piece of Jewellery was sitting on an individual minature gold chair with blue velvet upholstry. Some of the designs weren't to my taste i'll admit but some definitely were! A lot of the companies, once they discovered you didnt have thousands of pounds to invest weren't interested in talking to you and infact some wouldn't even let you near the stand unless you showed them a business card. However  the people from this company were extremely friendly -they asked what I studied and even said they had heard of the School. They even gave me a beautiful book with pictures of a collection inside,

This book is filled with family pictures and patterns with their jewellery designs and drawings running throughout. This is what appeals to me most about this company. They are a german company which are ALL about family. Its a family run business that designs for families. Their concept is that their pieces can be collected and added to throughout generations and developed through generations as a forever changing airloom. A clever approach as they hope to get a customer for life not just one purchase.  

                            

I like the thought of taking on a piece like this then adding your own part to it and passing it down. I admire the ethos of designing and selling for pleasure and to create something for another family to enjoy as opposed to creating generic jewellery that is worn maybe for a few months until it is thrown in a box never to be seen again. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Charlotte will pull out of the bag this year when i return to Inhorgenta! In other news I went to an Intellectual Property Law lecture today....snorefest!!

                                       

Standing in Awe at the Salon Door...

The person who is inspiring me most right now is Jessica McCormack - originally from New Zealand she went from course to course undecided what she would do and finally making a decision to become an auctioneer for her fathers auction house. However while travelling she conveniently met the sister in law of the head of jewellery at Southeby's of London. Eventually this led to a 4 month internship where she learnt all she knows about jewellery and decided that is what she wanted to design. They offered her a job but she decided to start her own adventure. Two years later she's currently at the top of her game voted in the top 50 most influential people of the jewellery trade. Above is her 'Salon' housing her unreal collection of jewellery art. The Salon is by appointment only and I'm currently doing my best to be invited into this vintage magpie nest!

  Jessica is focused on re-eventing diamonds. Her diamonds are ethically sourced and sometimes hidden as she says she wants them to be for the wearer not the viewer inspired by Andy Warhol who used to wear jewels on the inside of his jacket fro only him to see. As seen above she likes to take beautiful aged pieces and create new pieces which she hopes will be heirlooms, she says “I really want them to be special; these pieces will be around hundreds of years after I’m gone, so I’ve got to make sure I get the story right before I die.”  She is completely engaged with her work from start to finish and I think her drawings are nearly as beautiful as the pieces. 


  

















    The 'Wing of Desire' above has been worn by Rhianna and many other stars. Her client list also include Madonna, Cheryl Cole and French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld. Its clear this is not her aim in designing these sparkly pieces as apparently Madonna and Rhianna had a fight on their hands to prise the pieces off Jessica! Infact its her desires within jewellery that I admire most, "For me, making jewellery is about creating miniature sculptures. Each piece is the end result of my desire to turn what I perceive to be beautiful into a tiny piece of art. I would like people to re-evaluate their perception of fine jewellery and precious stones, breaking down barriers on how diamonds are considered, worn and used, with emphasis on luxury being about personal experience, appreciation and knowledge." and "to create incredible pieces of jewellery that will become future heirlooms for people and their families. Make some crown jewels; that’d be nice.”


   Jessica has big plans for the future as she has already created a targeted strategic plan to develop her name into a Cartier like brand. So watch this space!! I'll pop in a few more wee pics of the sheer beauty below :) 

(future husband whoever you are i would like this one please)

Living the Dream...

So I guess as my first blog I should really tell you who I am, what I'm doing and what the dream is...
 
   My name's Susie Alexander from Templepatrick in Northern Ireland and I'm currently studying Jewellery and Silversmithing at the Birmingham School of Jewellery. I've completed an HND here in Jewellery and Silversmithing and this year is a top up degree BA in a year (because everyone wishes they could cram 3yrs of work into one!) This course is focused on modern technology so using computers to design jewellery as well as laser technology and so on. The software can be difficult to use but its the future of the industry.
  As soon as I arrived in Brum I realised i was actually a homebird :-/ so I'm very much looking forward to finishing this June and returning to the motherland (and my mother!)
  So what's the dream? I would like to work within a contemporary jewellery business in Belfast helping them to expand their horizons, get on board with modern technology and hopefully in many ways change the shape of the jewellery industry in Northern Ireland. Further in the future I would like to work with other jewellery designers in the country creating projects and exhibitions. I want to contribute to the future of the Art scene in Northern Ireland and boost the reputation of our wee country......that's the dream :)