We're shining a light on the women behind some of the most popular jewellery brands out there...
Marisa Hordern of Missoma
Missoma needs no introduction, as you most likely already own a piece, or have seen one on some of your favourite celebrities and influencers, from Meghan Markle to Lucy Williams. The designer's signature gold coin necklaces put layering back on the map, and Marisa Hordern has just launched the brand's new fine jewellery collection.
Shop now: GOLD COTERIE CHAIN BELT for £289 from MISSOMA
LOVENESS LEE
London based jewellery brand Loveness Lee focuses on textural serendipitously. The brand exacts its inspiration from the natural formations and ancient structures of the interior of nature, science, and art. Each piece is made for you to experience the beauty and wonderment felt only when enveloped by nature. Their signature style is bold and sleek whilst remaining elegant.
Shop now: GACHIE BRACELET for £275 from LOVENESS LEE
Tada and Toy
This all female team was founded by best friends Tansy & Victoria. Currently operating from a kitchen table, they are still offering free next day delivery on all designs.
Shop now: Snow white pearl hoops for £150 from TADA & TOY
Märta Larsson
Natural art with an attitude epitomises Märta Larsson, where inspiration from the wild nature of the Swedish landscape collides with creativity and decadence to create a truly unique brand.
Shop now: Märta Larsson Green Chrysocolla Not A Pearl Necklace for £790 from Browns
Louise Olsen of Dinosaur Designs
Louise Olsen, Australian co-founder of Dinosaur Designs, started the Louise Olsen collection to create pieces to challenge and step outside the Dinosaur Designs aesthetic, taking pieces in a new direction. Olsen is fascinated by balance, and the relationship between being bold and the sensitivity of the delicate, which translates in to all of her pieces having a hand-felt quality. Olsen says, “I see my pieces as compositions, as sculptures that are worn on the body or that adorn interior living spaces. I love it when I look at a piece of jewellery and it can sit as an object on a table and still communicate its essence.”
Shop now: LOUISE OLSEN GOLD WRAP EARRINGS for £670 from DINOSAUR DESIGNS
Roxanne First
Roxanne, or Rocky, was born in South Africa, but her obsession with jewellery was passed on from her Italian family’s penchant for collecting and layering unique pieces. After working in the world of luxury retail and hospitality, Rocky decided to return to her first love: jewellery and officially launched Roxanne First in 2018. Her delicate gold and diamond pieces are ethically made, are have fast become a go-to for the modern woman looking for unique piece to layer.
Shop now: The Power Of 3 The Lover's Wish for £305 from ROXANNE FIRST
Rocky says, 'I wish I had entered the fine jewellery world earlier. However, I often remind myself that J.K Rowling started her Harry Potter Empire at 32, Martha Stewart published her first book at 41 and Oprah signed her syndication deal (which led to The Oprah Winfrey Show) at 33. Just shows you – it really is never too late.'
Maria Black
Maria Black founded her eponymous jewellery brand in 2010. Since then, the Copenhagen-born, Danish-Irish designer has created contemporary fine and fashion jewellery collections that are driven by the brand’s inclusive ethos, and which invite individuals to explore and embrace their individuality in fresh and creative ways. Using a combination of traditional craftmanship and modern techniques, the sculptural shapes of our precious metal designs are inspired by sources as diverse as everyday objects, people, subcultures and life moments.
Shop now: VENICE BRACELET for £111 from MARIA BLACK
Tori of Wolf & Gypsy
Wolf & Gypsy’s beautiful jewellery is made from sterling silver, gold vermeil, 14ct gold, ethically sourced, conflict-free gemstones (moonstone, topaz, turquoise, emerald and diamonds) that are hand- picked by designer Tori herself in India to ensure they perfectly fit each piece.
Shop now: Multi Stone Ring for £40 from WOLF & GYPSY
Louisa and Collette of Orelia
The London brand by friends Louisa and Collette specialises in jewellery that uses semi-previous components combined with lovely charms.
Shop now: SUPER CHUNKY TWIST SMALL HOOPS for £25 from ORELIA
Alona Shelemy of By Alona
London based designer, Alona Shelemy, fell in love with the world of jewellery at a young age. As the daughter of a fine jeweller, Alona was surrounded at home by the most precious pieces that her father believed were too beautiful to sell. This allowed for her mother to have a stunning collection which Alona would constantly play dress up with, and is now the inspiration for her designs.
Shop now: CINDY NECKLACE for £149 from By Alona
Francesca Kelly and Marianna Doyle of SORU
Soru; meaning sisters in Sicilian, was founded by sisters Francesca Kelly and Marianna Doyle in 2013, who had both left their careers to raise their children. They decided to set up a business that would work for their family life, fuelled by their love of jewellery and desire to create stand out pieces with high quality materials at attainable prices.
Shop now: Fashion Bug Blog X Soru Anoushka Earrings for £245 from SORU
Each piece is ethically handmade in Italy or Turkey using gold plated sterling silver and semi-precious gemstones. The brand has a diverse celebrity following including the likes of HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, who really affected their business. The sisters say, 'Our sales grew by 438% after the Duchess wore our earrings which is amazing. Visitors came to our site from all over the world and we gained a lot more subscribers and Instagram followers. A lot of the customers we gained from the Kate effect have gone on to buy from us again and again, and remain loyal customers to this day.'
Anissa Kermiche
Anissa Kermiche has made a name for herself by designing feminist jewellery that isn't only beautiful but celebrates strong women and their bodies. Her last jewellery collection was inspired by the women who led the French Revolution, and she's even made a foray into homeware, with vases shaped like boobs and butts, which are top of our wish list.
The designer graduated in engineering, but realised it wasn't for her. She says, 'I ended up working for a big consulting firm, which wasn’t exactly what I dreamt about when I was young. I caught up with my hobby in the evening after work, making simple pieces and wearing them at work. It caught the eye of the people around me straight away, which encouraged me to ditch my life in Paris, move across the Channel to study jewellery design.'
Shop now: ANISSA KERMICHE 14-karat gold, garnet and diamond ring for £325 from Net-A-Porter
Rosh Mahtani of Alighieri
Designer Rosh admits that creating her brand Alighieri five years ago pulled her out of some dark times. She says, 'I was struggling with depression and some days I just couldn't get out of bed, this game a purpose. Creating something gave me a way of healing and I wanted to be honest about that. There is so much pressure to be perfect, and I wanted to create a brand based on those discarded, battered things, and celebrate that. We're all trying to figure it out.'
Her designs are inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, with each piece corresponding to one of the poet's 100 poems. The lion medallion is one of the most popular pieces, with customers regularly contacting Rosh to tell her it made them feel brave and confident during tough times (they're aptly called 'the lion club').
Shop now: Il Leone Ring for £210 from Alighieri
Kelly Seymour of Cult Of Youth
Silversmith and designer Kelly Seymour launched her gothic-inspired designs at London Fashion Week in 2011, and it all went uphill from there: a stall at London’s iconic Portobello Market, Cult of Youth was soon in Urban Outfitters stores from London to Berlin, Paris to Amsterdam.
She hand makes everything from her Hackney warehouse. After three seasons in store and coinciding with the arrival of her son, Elvis, Kelly launched the signature MAMA CHAIN in 2015, and Cult of Youth has since evolved into a personal exploration of family intimacies and deep reflection with identity and self, before and after Motherhood.
Shop now: Baby Moon Studs for £25 from CULT OF YOUTH
Joyce Binneboese and Dana Roski of WALD
Founders Joyce and Dana originally started WALD as a concept boutique in Mitte, Berlin 7 years ago and, after taking a creative break, they decided to work on their first jewellery collection in 2018: The ‘Juicy’ Collection was born, embodying the liberation of holidays and wanderlust using shell motifs. The designs are made by a collective of unemployed mums and grandmothers, often from small towns.
They say, ‘for us it is really important to be aware of where we spend our money. You can make such a difference when thinking twice and change the world each day a bit to be better. They are the heroes of our society and deserve jobs and appreciation.’
Shop now: Bella Necklace Silver for €129 from WALD
Sam Hamilton of SAM HAM
Shop now: Ballz Pearl Necklace for £450 from SAM HAM
Growing up, Sam felt she was never quite able to conform to her role, and jewellery became the medium which gave her the power and self-confidence she needed. Following the National College of Art & Design in Dublin, specialist training in Florence, Cork and Amsterdam, and a Masters in Luxury Product Design in Milan, she moved to London to launch her brand, which is forged around 'strength of character rather than on expectations of gender'.
