In recent years Glasgow’s Merchant City has flourished thanks to new and exciting cutting edge shops opening in the area. One of them is Brazen, a unique jewellery-cum-workshop space. The brainchild of Glasgow School of Art graduate Sarah Raffel, Brazen opened four years ago, scooping the title of “Most Stylish Boutique” at the 2007 Scottish Style Awards.
A jewellery designer and silversmith, Sarah realised that there wasn’t a space in town where jewellery and accessory designers could promote their work and, after winning funding from a plan that tried to encourage people to apply their creativity within a business context, she opened Brazen. 
What distinguishes the shop is that beyond the showcases and a partition wall decorated in kitsch and funky motifs, there are studios for up to 16 jewellery makers and designers. “At Brazen we try to emphasise the work of contemporary designers,” Sarah explains, “and customers get a closer feel as well as they can hear the stuff being made and they can see it being made through the window shop.”
All the designers currently working in and for Brazen are independent and some of them work as freelancers for Sarah who will launch her next jewellery collection at London Fashion Week, where Brazen will be exhibiting as part of the “Scotland with Style Design Collective”.
Sarah’s current mission is to move jewellery in a different direction, “Brazen means to be fashion forward and be trend conscious,” she says, “but I also want people to know that buying jewellery is an investment, as the pieces we produce and showcase here have got permanence.”
The shop offers a wide variety of pieces - necklaces, bracelets, bangles, rings, earrings and even nipple tassels - in the most disparate materials, from Sterling silver and 18-carat gold to wood, ceramic and steel, all made by the most cutting-edge designers around Britain and the rest of the world. My favourite designs are the quirky ones by Marloes ten Bohmer. 
Among the best sellers there are Heather O’Connor’s silver, walnut and concrete pieces, Victoria Hayward’s leather and onyx statement necklaces, but also accessories such as the infamous “Guardian Angel” bags by Dutch duo Vlieger & Vandam, that feature a three-dimensional gun or knife embossed on the wool felt front.
There’s no doubt: being a form of body adornment, jewellery and accessories can definitely help feeling more powerful and making a bold statement. If you are looking to add a cheeky and provocative attitude to your style, maybe you shouldn't go further than Brazen.
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