Maybe it’s a ‘70s thing but see-through is back in a big way. Chanel’s SS18 catwalk was plastic fantastic thanks to all manner of transparent accessories from knee high boots and handbags to micro capes and rain hats. More classically chic are these giant raindrop earrings from the same collection with sparkly CC pearls. Made of clear resin, they catch the light beautifully and promise to make even the dreariest day more fun. New York designer Maryam Nassir Zadeh has just launched a refreshing line of ice cube and icicle necklaces and rings; they may not cool you down on a piping hot day but all eyes will be on you at cocktail hour. And, if you want something truly retro in spirit, look to these glass hoops by Kenneth Jay Lane. Simple but effffective. Or should that be reflective? From top: KENNETH JAY LANE glass and gold plated hoops, £50, net-a-porter.com; CHANEL earrings in resin, metal and strass, £800, chanel.com; MARYAM NASSIR ZADEH glass icicle necklace, $867, mnzstore.com
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This spring, luxury houses and jewellery newcomers have raided their kitties, turning coins into statement designs. At Chloé, new creative director Natacha Ramsay-Levi has created her own currency with penny-like charms. Donatella Versace honours her brother’s legacy with stand-out ‘90s-inspired pendants, while Gucci’s coins feature a signature bee. For her label Alighieri, London- based designer Rosh Mahtani draws from Dante’s Divine Comedy which lends pieces such as this medallion necklace an air of antiquity. From left: CHLOÉ Dangling Coins bracelet in golden brass, £460, chloe.com; GUCCI bow motif hand accessory in metal with aged gold finish, £330, gucci.com; VERSACE Medusa Tribute Collection bracelet, £490, versace.com; ALIGHIERI Leone Medallion gold plated necklace, £210, net-a-porter.com
Earthy Delights
Three female designers create unusual jewellery inspired by natural structures, ancestry and organic shapes. Patcharavipa Bodiratnangkura’s Tushroom collection is handcrafted in Bangkok with shapes informed by tulips and mushrooms discovered during a trip to Amsterdam. Kirsty Stone’s Retrouvaí – from the French word ‘Retrouvailles’ for reunion – offers fine jewellery with a nostalgic edge, made in Los Angeles. Lebanese designer Dina Kamal trained as an architect but was drawn to jewellery when she began researching her family heirlooms in Beirut. She says she became “obsessed” with the pinkie ring and is best known for her line of diamond, ruby and sapphire signet rings that have a distinct linear shape informed by her previous vocation. Her gold Labyrinth earrings with princess cut diamonds are tinted with charcoal rhodium for an almost wooden-like finish. Clockwise from top: PATCHARAVIPA large Boldi Mushroom and V Mushroom rings, POA, patcharavipa.com; RETROUVAI Mother Of Pearl Swivel earrings, £3420, brownsfashion.com; DINA KAMAL Labyrinth Earrings, £13,200, alexeagle.com
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Alexandra Zagalsky is a London-based journalist specialising in luxury, art and travel. She began her career working on a cultural guide for English-speaking expats in Paris, where her first major break was an interview with Lionel Poilâne, the late baker of Saint-Germain-des-Prés famed for his signature sourdough loaves. Returning to London in her early 20s, she went on to write for not only The Week but also The Art Newspaper’s Art of Luxury supplement, The Telegraph and The Times, as well as art and design platforms including 1stDibs’ Introspective Magazine and the magazines of the V&A, Sotheby’s and Christie’s. She studied fine art and art history at Goldsmiths, University of London and continues to explore travel journalism through the lens of art, craftsmanship and culture.
