Uncovering My Jewellery Treasures – Part 2
Our Uncovering My Jewellery Treasures blog series gives you an inside look at the most precious pieces of jewellery belonging to some of our WNDRLND Jewellery Designers.
In Part 2, we discover the stories behind some beautiful and deeply treasured necklaces.
NATALIE PERRY, NATALIE PERRY JEWELLERY
This locket necklace in 9ct yellow gold belonged to my Grandma. She used to wear it with a picture of me as a baby inside it. When she died my family decided she would have wanted to pass it down to me so I inherited it when I was 18.
It has a small picture of me inside which I have never changed since I was given it and I wear it with a picture of my Grandma in the other side. It’s so special to me as I knew my Grandma treasured it when she was alive and now I do the same. I’ve worn it almost every day since I was 18 as I’d be lost without it but also it goes with everything so it’s a staple wardrobe item for me. I receive so many compliments on it.
EMER ROBERTS, EMER ROBERTS DESIGN
This 22” gold chain is a very simple and delicate chain that belonged to my grandmother. My mother gave it to me a few years ago and I never take it off. It signifies simplicity and elegance. And echoes elements of a woman whom I never had the pleasure of meeting! My grandmother passed away a few years before I was born. I have 4 sisters (and 3 brothers) and my mother does sentimentality in its subtlest form. Heirlooms would be furniture or picture frames more so than jewellery which makes my chain all the more special.
I wear the chain with my own designs. I love the length and wear it a lot with either the Angular Wheel or Rats Tail Pendants from my own collection. Funnily enough I have begun wearing both together on this chain. As I am about to launch my Wearable Biology fine jewellery collection in a few weeks, it is quite apt that the two aspects of my brand are finally becoming realised and I am subconsciously wearing both together.
This Little Woman necklace is extra-long with a rich gold finish and features a hand-carved bust of a woman with chain tassels. This is the first finished piece I created whilst at jewellery school and what inspired me to create my own brand, ROKUS. The very first version had a stone but I really fell in love with it when the tassels where added.
The Little Woman pendant is based on the Mende Mask from the female-only Sande secret society of Sierra Leone and represents the inner and outer beauty of these women. The mask itself is beautiful but became even more interesting for me knowing that in most African societies, only men are allowed to wear masks and this is one of the few that was secretly commissioned and created by a group of defiant women. I wear this necklace in the evening or for special events with a LBD. It doesn’t need much else.
CAROLYN KINNAIRD, KINNAIRD JEWELLERY
This necklace with pendants means a lot to me as each charm holds a story and connects me to a person or place. The floral pendant with the pearl was my Great Grandmother’s – I ‘borrowed’ it from my Mum but she never got it back, it’s simply too beautiful! I then bought the tiny silver lama in Peru and collected the shell whilst canoeing in Halong Bay in Vietnam. I often find I wear this necklace as a good luck charm and it has been all over the world with me.