The fashion one
Fashion junkies may have already
heard of Ilaria Icardi — her 24-year
career has included positions as
design director at Celine under Phoebe
Philo and more recently at Victoria Beckham. But the call
back to her roots has proved strong enough for Icardi, 49,
to give all that up. In the 1970s her late father founded a
jewellery workshop and brand in the small town of
Valenza, which is known as the jewellery-making
capital of Italy, where she was subsequently born
and brought up. In November 2020, working with
her gemologist brother, she started her own,
eponymous company. Her style is heavily rooted
in the 1970s, with medallion-style pendants,
textured gold, chunky graphic signet rings and
weighty cuffs. “My designs all begin organically,”
she says, “like a seed growing inside me. This is
something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time.”
From £1,600; ilariaicardi.comThe quirky one
If jewellery should reflect the general mood, then Karen Cheung, 41,
is right on the money. Her small, hand-painted porcelain charms and
rings, made in her studio in rural Worcestershire, are not for the faint-
hearted (those with “F*** it all”, “Sod off ” and “Bollocks” painted on
are some of her bestsellers) — and have proved hugely popular. It all
started in 2018 after Cheung attended evening classes in pottery: her
punchy jewellery was an instant hit and her
business, Kerchung!, was born. “My pieces are
quirky, tongue-in-cheek and deeply imbued
with what I call the ‘modern malaise’, and
I love juxtaposing the beautiful with
something uglier or surprising,
whether it’s swearwords or
pessimistic language.” Her regular
drops on her website are instant
sellouts, so keep an eye out for future
dates through her Instagram account,
@kerchungcreative. From £25;
kerchungcreative.comThe new
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Ilaria Icardi‘s
textured gold
pendants28 • The Sunday Times Style