The Power of being Bold

Why distilling your creative ideas and ignoring commerciality can work for independent jewellery designers

As anyone who has completed my 6-Week GoldDust Masterclass will know, I am a huge believer in the power of being bold in design. I champion impactful, original and bold design choices, particularly when starting out, and Week 4 of my signature course underlines with an entire module on ‘The Power of the Showstopper.’

What constitutes a ‘bold’ idea in fine jewellery?

Renegade jewellery designer Solange Azagury Partridge recently launched a jewellery collection made from copper. Yes, copper. The material of jewellery students making their first pieces at the bench, practising polishing it until it glows golden pink, then watching sadly as it fades and discolours and tarnishes quickly.

Who is Solange Azagury Partridge?

Solange burst onto the jewellery scene over 20 years ago with her esoteric and non-conformist ideas of luxury and fine jewellery, making a huge dent in the industry and trailblazing her way to huge success and recognition. And now with the addition of copper, a non-precious metal never used in fine jewellery, it seems the renegade side of her hasn’t waned over the years. Offering pieces such as her signature ‘Hotlips’ design, along with her ‘Heartbeat’ ring, the collection of 10 pieces all sit around the £600-900 price point, considerably lower than her main collections but still not considered ‘cheap’ by many.

With the saturated jewellery market almost impenetrable for many new jewellers starting their businesses in 2024, having a unique and unexpected point of view is a real help. Allowing press and PR to talk about something actually new, potentially stopping us in our mindless scroll through instagram and making shoppers look twice when seeing something unexpected holds real power and advantage.

We are flooded with ‘samey’ styles and it takes a brave designer to create something truly new and unexpected. But I believe this is the only way forward for jewellery design, and although copper as a material isn’t considered ‘fine’ in jewellery, neither were ‘salt and pepper’ diamonds or ‘raw diamonds’ back when Solange starting using these too, over 25 years ago.