Designs of Excellence Collection

The Designs of Excellence Collection will into Galway next week as part of a UK and Ireland-wide tour to showcase the latest jewellery trends and top designing talent.

Hartmanns of Galway is next week hosting the Collection which comprises outstanding pieces made up of a variety of styles, metals and gems.  The pieces were chosen from the designers who entered the Designer of Excellence Award at The Jewellery Show 2011. 

The Collection features the work of some of the best designers around today including Ana de Costa who was commissioned to create earrings for a celebrity to wear to this year’s Oscars and Babette Wasserman who has been commissioned to create the ring on the official ‘Princess Catherine’ doll for the Royal wedding this year.

Sarah Ho

Sarah Ho’s luxurious collections offer a fashionably fresh take on jewellery design and strive to make fine jewellery fun.  Her beautiful design-led pieces appeal to the modern day woman.  Sarah mixes classic and contemporary styles that can be worn day or night, by young and old.  The collections are set with precious and semi precious stones.

Born in Hong Kong, Sarah’s parentage ensured that her childhood was spent mingling with Hong Kong’s elite – both Sarah’s father and grandfather were highly respected businessmen, her grandfather, Stanley Ho, nicknamed ‘The King of Gambling’ due to his chain of illustrious casinos. Sarah’s mother, Suki, was equally famous, having elevated herself to the high echelons of fashion in the 1960s, modelling for various high profile publications and starring as one of the original Bond Girls in the 1967 version of Ian Fleming’s Casino.   She also dated Rolling Stones icon Brian Jones and Sarah has inherited a stunning vintage wardrobe from the gifts he brought her mother.  It was as a direct result of her upbringing that Sarah began designing jewellery whose evocativeness is only rivalled by its timelessness.  Family tradition and heritage is deeply intertwined with family jewels strongly influencing the entire range.

After studying fashion and then jewellery design at London Metropolitan University, Sarah Ho started her own business in 2006. The company has grown steadily over the past four years with new collections, each with its own inspiration, and an expanding distribution network through galleries and retail jewellers throughout the UK.  Sarah’s designs are also very popular with celebrities including Tess Daly, Fearne Cotton, Paris Hilton and models Helena Christensen and Lily Cole.

Ana de Costa

Since graduating from art college in 2005, Ana has made a remarkable impact on the jewellery industry. Her pieces reflect her freethinking bohemian spirit and passion for jewellery.  She demonstrates a refreshing way of creating fine jewellery, from the spiritual narrative themes used, through to their execution in pieces of jewellery. As a dedicated colourist, she designs for the beautiful vibrant stones she selects; these often include fancy coloured diamonds, tsavorites, manderine garnets, rubies and tanzanites.  Fine materials and craftsmanship are paramount to support the bespoke collections and her private commission work.  It is this eye for detail that has attracted celebrity clients including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Lindsay Lohan.  Ana clearly demonstrates that she is a designer of our time and a young rising British talent to watch.

Babette Wasserman

Babette Wasserman, trained in fine jewellery at Central Saint Martins College of Art, has been creating contemporary, highly prized and internationally recognised jewellery under her own label for twelve years. 

From the humble beginnings in 1997, the brand now has over 300 accounts worldwide in some of the most luxurious boutiques and department stores such as Fortnum & Mason (London), Le Bon Marche (Paris), Bloomingdales (USA) and Saks Fifth Avenue (Dubai).

Babette’s unique touch can be seen in every collection; in the distinctive way she plays with interchangeability and clever design and uses a multitude of stones, materials, colours and forms. 

Her jewellery has been adorned by celebrities such as Elle Macpherson, Cheryl Cole, Elton John, David Beckham and Madonna but most excitingly Babette has been asked to make the ring on the official ‘Princess Catherine’ doll for the Royal wedding this year.

Rachel Galley

Rachel Galley graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art in 2004 and worked for some of the most prestigious brands in the luxury jewellery market before setting up her own business three years ago. 

Rachel’s collections are stylish, but also interactive and unique to the wearer; hidden compartments and containers add an air of mystery to the jewellery.  She draws inspiration from her many exotic travels around the globe, nature, architecture and engineering; combining these with a passion for creating striking jewellery.

Rachel’s collections have been worn by celebrities such as Lily Allen, Juliette Lewis, Girls Aloud and Kara Tointon.

The pieces from the Rachel Galley range that are in the Collection are:

• Allegro Hinged Bangle
Made of sterling silver, there are moving 18ct gold plated silver beads, inside the bangle. These can be removed allowing you to personalize the bangle with gemstones and birthstones.

• Memento Globe Necklace
Made of sterling silver, the lattice beads constantly move with the body when worn creating a diamond like sparkle from the piece. The central lattice bead contains a moving silver bead creating movement and appears like a mysterious pearl dancing inside.

Alexander Davis

Alexander Davis’ visionary approach to jewellery making and innovative cutting‐edge techniques mean that the young jewellery designer has fast become a rising star.  In 2010 he won the coveted New Designer of the Year Award at the UK Jewellery Awards.  His designs are inspired by engineering and architecture.  They combine strong forms, bold colours and inspiring craftsmanship, along with attention to detail and a refusal to compromise on quality.

One of the pieces selected for the Designs of Excellence Collection, the DNAture pendant, reflects the elegance of nature’s most simple code, the DNA helices.  To make the pendant cutting-edge laboratory DNA sequencing techniques are used to identify a unique stretch of the wearer’s DNA, making it totally unique to them.  The pendent represents the uniquely coded strands of DNA through the use of colourful gemstones that mimic the wearer's own genetic code.  In an additional twist, two lovers’ DNA sequences can be permanently entwined together in a truly unique piece of jewellery.

Also selected is the Half Dendritic ring, based on molecular branching patterns inspired by Alexander’s Biochemistry studies, and the Dark Romance Vaulted Arch ring, inspired by the vaulted ceiling of Winchester Cathedral where Alexander played the organ as a child.

Katie Rowland

Katie Rowland has amazed fashion and jewellery critics with her sharp amalgamation of graphics, typography and opulent jewellery.  Founded in 2009, Katie Rowland Jewellery has become a multi-award winning brand for both design and business acumen.  The brand specialises in designing and producing luxurious, high-end adornment for women who like to treat themselves. 

Inspired by the female form and psyche, the pieces are design-led and fashion-forward.  By subtly concentrating on how a piece is worn, it can accentuate body lines or evoke the wearer’s emotions.

Katie has cultivated a celebrity clientele including the likes of Cheryl Cole, Coco Sumner, Dannii Minogue, Daisy Lowe, Paloma Faith and Eliza Doolittle to name a few.

The pieces from the Katie Rowland range that are in the Collection are:

• St. Tropez Oversize Collar
Smoky Quartz & 18ct Gold Vermeil.

• St. Tropez Oversize Cuff
Smoky Quartz & 18ct Gold Vermeil.

Burkmar Jewellery (Paul & Yu Lan)

When Paul Burkmar first met Yu Lan Su, he was the chairman representing 12,000 notorious Millwall fans in weekly meetings with Theo Paphitis of Dragon’s Den fame.  He was also working for Hatton Garden diamond mounters.  Yu Lan was the daughter of an Oriental jade dealer whose creative talents had won her many accolades including Best Contemporary Jeweller in her home country of Taiwan, and Best Emerging Designer in Platinum.

Together, the married couple formed Burkmar Jewellery with designs in Anodised Aluminium,
Sterling and Britannia Silver making up their core range. 

The piece from the Burkmar Jewellery range that is in the Collection, which is available in both silver and 18ct gold, is:

• Ocean Wave Cuff Bangle - in 18ct Gold
Handmade corrugated 18ct yellow gold cuff bangle.

• Ocean Wave Cuff Bangle – in silver
Handmade corrugated silver cuff bangle.

James Newman

James Newman has a reputation for creating individually-made bespoke jewellery pieces, as well as fashioning innovatively crafted design collections.  James’ designs push the boundaries; the exploration and juxtaposition of textures, sculptural forms and use of tactile elements are key features.

He creates beautiful work that endures by combining age-old jewellery making techniques with newly emerging technologies. 

An association with Neil Barrett, the Milan-based fashion house, has led to countless celebrities wearing James’ creations.

• Islet Necklace
18ct yellow gold, set with 30pts of VS/EF brilliant cut diamonds.
• Saturn Ring
18ct white gold, 30pt centre diamond and 4pts of channel set diamonds around the collar.  All VS/EF quality.