London Jewellery Week is closing on Sunday 15th June. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to visit as many exhibitions and open studios I wanted to as I was only in London for a few busy days, but I managed to see some of the stuff around. I originally wanted to visit the “My Most Treasured” exhibition at Browns’ South Molton Street store, but the publication I write for wasn’t probably deemed as cool/hip/worthy to go, so we were politely told that the exhibition space was rather small and the list of invited people was already full. Well, frankly, who cares. Anyway, let’s pass onto something else…
For quite a long time now I’ve been fascinated by the fashion and architecture connection, so I looked up the catalogue to see if there were any exhibitions devoted to jewels and architecture. I wasn’t actually disappointed as I spotted an event organised by the Association for Contemporary Jewellery at the A&D Gallery featuring 20 contemporary jewellery designers.
The exhibition also featured pieces inspired by the banks of London, so off I went to explore what was going on there. The gallery offered a nice space, and in the shop window there were a few pieces inspired by the English capital in a wide range of styles and materials that piqued by interest.
Jewellery designer Lucy Sylvester often incorporates insect and plant themes in her pieces, so 
when her signature design came in contact with London she produced a stunning piece in silver entitled “Westminster at night” with a big and bold pendant circled by disturbing little flies that captured in its heart the colours of dusk.
Keren Cornelius instead tried to transpose in her jewellery the symbolism and the tragedy of the Deptford Slave Market, using a man’s shirt collar with a chain mail necklace around it. The collar was also a map of the slave trade and symbolised the respectably dressed men who traded slaves.
The iconic London A-Z map book inspired instead Melissa Hunt to incorporate bits of maps into her earrings, cufflinks, bangles, necklaces and rings.
Other designers concentrated on the silhouettes of London: Lynne Bartlett reproduced in titanium the evening sky a
nd Jane Macintosh entitled her linear and minimalist brooch in subtle tones of yellow and white gold “The Square Mile on the Banks of the Thames”. 
Symbolism wasn’t missing and it came courtesy of Alexandra Simpson who, inspired by nature, used a delicate gold poppy as a metaphor for success and wealth and its black pistils as symbols of elegance.
I found Shelby Ferris Fitzpatrick’s silver, gold, stainless steel, silk and coloured polypropylene jewels particularly interesting. The artist’s conical rings with inserts of felt or silk reminded me of the futuristic shapes of Schlemmer’s Triadisches Ballett and brought a smile on my face.
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