The Jewellery Cut Live’s October 2021 show held at The Royal Institution in London’s Mayfair, provided an opportunity for jewellery lovers to scour through exciting offerings by top jewellery designers and brands.
Asian peridot mining company Fuli Gemstones turned headline sponsor for The Jewellery Cut Live’s pop-up in October. “This show marked the first in a three-year partnership with Fuli Gemstones. We are grateful to have the support of Fuli Gemstones. The sponsorship allows us to continue to create this exciting new space for consumers and those in the business to come and discover new jewellers and immerse themselves in our wonderful talks programme,” said Rachael Taylor and Andrew Martinyiuk, founders of The Jewellery Cut.
Although unsure of what to expect on their first outing after the pandemic, the founders had enough reasons to be delighted. “We had a steady flow of visitors throughout the two days, and a packed VIP event on the Friday evening. The quality of visitors was also very high, with many HNWI shoppers who were ready to make purchases at the show, retail buyers from London’s most exclusive department stores seeking to discover new jewellers, and a brilliant turnout of press who work for major glossy magazines and global newspapers,” added Rachael.
The pop-up featured a selection of jewels and watches set with Fuli Gemstones peridot, including design collaborations with Anoushka Ducas, Zeemou Zeng and Liv Luttrell. The event also had an exciting line-up of speakers, including BBC Antiques Roadshow expert Joanna Hardy, Vogue jewellery editor Carol Woolton and jewellery designer to the stars, Anabela Chan.
Each season, Rachael and Andrew bring together a diverse collection of speakers who talk on a range of fascinating topics. This year, Anabela Chan joined their design masterclass and talked about putting sustainability at the forefront of the design process.
“Her talk was a major draw, and she delivered a wonderfully well received lecture that melded art, culture, jewellery and social conscience.
“Joanna Hardy is another brilliant orator, and she gave a fascinating talk on the history of the gemstone peridot, and it marked the first time she has ever given a lecture on this subject,” added Rachael.
Hardy was also joined by Annoushka Ducas, the designer behind the Annoushka jewellery brand, who spoke about her collaboration with Fuli Gemstones on a suite of peridot jewels that was on display at the show.
Rachael commented, “Carol Woolton took us on a totally different tangent as she explored the world of crystals, and how they are used in well-being. The talk, which was her second at The Jewellery Cut Live, was centered around her latest book, The New Stone Age, which is dedicated to this subject – and quite a few visitors emerged from the session with a newfound appreciation of crystals and gems,” added Rachael.
The Jewellery Cut Live welcome a fresh cohort of creatives to their show, including 16 designers who had never participated before. “These included Scottish sustainable fine jeweller Alison Macleod, the brilliant Clio Saskia and her precious animal jewels, Drutis which creates gem-filled gold kaleidoscope pendants that actually work, Marie Mas from Paris who specialises in kinetic fine jewels, and Irish jeweller Nigel O’Reilly who specialises in one-off high jewels,” said Rachael.
Marie Cabirou of Parisian brand Marie Mas, showcased the Dancing rings, Swinging earrings, Wave rings and ear jewels and new additions.
“We recently released the best-sellers from the Wave collection in rubies, yellow sapphires, blue sapphires and emeralds – and unveiled these at TJC Live,” said Marie, whose latest offering included the U&I collection, a line of playful gender-neutral bands to celebrate love and commitment. “While the pandemic continues, the restrictions in London slowly eased off, and we were happy to take this opportunity to meet new clients and build closer personal relationships,” added the designer.
New Yorker Noor Shamma was thrilled to launch her new collection, Cipresso, at the TJC Live, along some of her special one-of-one pieces that have been made especially for the event. Crafted in 18-karat gold and accented with diamonds, the line is testament to roots and the life force they provide. “I showed the Suad collection and a few of my best-sellers – Répertoire U-Hoops, Luz U hoops and huggies, Troika lariat necklace, Eternity chokers and One of One Fortuna necklaces,” said Noor. “I loved that the attendees got to experience the allure of the jewellery in person for the first time in a while.”
Co-founder Rachael Taylor shares more on TJC Live:
Young talent Jasmine Ataullah bagged The Jewellery Cut bursary. Tell us more about Jasmine and her work, and why it held so much appeal?
We are incredibly passionate at The Jewellery Cut about supporting emerging jewellery design talent, as well as creating a platform that elevates young brands. We also ensure that we gift a space at the show to a promising emerging jeweller that might not otherwise have the finances to take part.
This year, the winner of The Jewellery Cut bursary was Jasmine Ataullah, a designer based in the British city of Brighton, who is largely self-taught and created hand-engraved gold jewels inspired by her Pakistani heritage.
More than 40 designers applied for our most recent bursary, and four were shortlisted to present their work to a panel of judges, including myself and Andrew, Fuli Gemstones’ Pia Tonna, Liberty jewellery buyer Ruby Beales, BBC Antiques Roadshow expert and author Jaonna Hardy, British Vogue contributing jewellery editor Carol Woolton and master goldsmith Trevor Davis.
What the judges really loved about Jasmine was her raw talent. Despite being self-taught, the quality of her work was excellent, and she has a strong creative vision that melds ancient South Asian aesthetics with thoroughly wearable and collectible jewels that chime perfectly with contemporary jewellery lovers.
As well as winning a stand at the show, Jasmine was gifted a generous package of prizes from associations in the jewellery industry that will help further her knowledge and connections. She was also presented with a Fuli Gemstones peridot, which she set in a yellow gold ring that was inspired by ancient temples and decorated with her signature Mehndi-style engraved flourishes.
Designers Nigel O’Reilly and Susi Smither are new to TJC fold. Which of their works wowed clients and buyers?
The Rock Hound blessed the show with a riot of colour; you could not fail to be lured in for a closer inspection when walking past the brand’s cabinet. The designer behind The Rock Hound, Susi Smither, uses nano ceramics to coat her jewels with bright colours that clash and contrast beautifully with ethically sourced gemstones. She also had a wonderful collection of designs set with tumbled Muzo emeralds.
At Nigel O’Reilly, there were some real showstopping designs. This was the Irish brand’s first ever show in London, and I know many of our visitors were delighted to see the pieces in real life after following them online for many years. The Nigel O’Reilly jewel that was most talked about at the show was the Opal Hemisphere ring, which set a dazzling black opal within a cage of gold and sapphires.