The modern
heirloom one
The eureka moment happened one
evening while Shola Branson, 31,
was wandering around the British
Museum. “I realised that I could
reimagine the artefacts that
I was looking at, only through
a contemporary lens,” he says.
Shortly afterwards Branson enrolled
in a evening class in wax carving —
an ancient technique used for
casting metal — and taught himself
the rest. Brushed gold and bold
shapes are his signatures, mixed
with sizeable gemstones, but hung
from chunky chains so they can be
worn every day. Other clever
touches include rings with
diamonds set around the
outside edges. As he says: “It’s a
minimal aesthetic that includes
moments of flamboyance and
opulence.”From £1,380;
sholabranson.com ■
@thediamondeditThe meaningful one
Having grown up in a family of artists, it seemed inevitable that
Cecilia Fein Hughes, 27, would end up following a creative career
path. After studying history of art at university, she took a jewellery-
making course in Hatton Garden in 2018, which was, she says,
“a game-changer”: shortly afterwards she launched her brand, Cece
Jewellery. Her speciality? Engraved symbols and objects —
everything from hearts to clam shells — coloured with enamel and
set with gemstones on signet rings and pendants. Fein Hughes makes
each piece from recycled 18-carat gold in her London workshop
before sending them to a master enameller. “I’m drawn to fairytales,
old-school tattoos and enchanted creatures,” she says of her aesthetic.
Expect an expansion into earrings and bracelets this summer and a
new star sign collection. From £1,950; cecejewellery.com
The sculptural one
The jeweller Meghan Griffiths, 27, the founder and designer-maker of
Angharad, cites Elsa Peretti as an inspiration — which is clear to see
in her fluid, organic style with jewels that hug the contours of the
body. Each piece, most often made using reclaimed gold and silver,
starts life as a drawing that becomes a wax model she sculpts at her
work bench in east London. But in a nod to her Welsh roots,
Griffiths’s real creative touchpoint is an ancient book of Welsh myth
and folklore, The Mabinogion: “I’ve found so much inspiration in it,
including the earliest trace of my middle name, Angharad, and I’ve
used it as a reference when designing new pieces.”
Griffiths describes her jewellery as “soft sculptural armour” and
there is certainly a lovely volume mixed with a tactile quality in her
pieces (her chains and ear cuffs stand out in particular). Next up is her
third collection, which launches this summer. “Seeing people rocking
the pieces I make never gets old.” From £60; angharadstudio.comThe upcycled one
Like many of us, the former fashion editor Emma Milne-Watson, 48,
found lockdown and home schooling a challenge. Her solution was to
launch a jewellery brand. “I needed a creative fix in between helping
my son,” she says from her home in Sussex, “so I started making
necklaces with old beads I’d found in the attic.” She posted pictures
of a few on Instagram (@emmamilnewatson) and, to her surprise, got
a big response. “We set up a JustGiving page to raise money for
Refuge — every time someone donated I made them a necklace. We
raised nearly £4,000.” Today her small business, Milne Watson, is
thriving, with everything made by hand at home. Her signature
pieces, mostly necklaces, are made of glass, semiprecious beads,
stones and vintage materials she finds at markets and antique fairs.
Bespoke orders are an important part of her offering: “Often
customers give me a little background about themselves and the
colours they like and I do the rest.” From £66; cutterbrooks.com
The Sunday Times Style • 29