Jewellery Focus February 2018 | Page 27

FEATURE JANET FITCH TREND-WATCH Heading into Spring E ‘‘ Two years ago, he identified a novel way of recognising service: after seeing his own medals gathering dust in a drawer, he evolved the idea of a commemorative bracelet – the Valour Band - for the armed forces community lliane Fattal is a London based artist, designer and art historian whose love of the past in fashion has not only led her to become a jewellery designer, but someone who re-images and re- invents antique jewellery; giving it new life as contemporary, wearable, often transferable and multifunction pieces. Since 2011, Eliane has been collaborating with SJ Phillips, the antique jewellery connoisseur’s treasure trove in Bruton Street, re-fashioning archival pieces, with their expert technical help and knowledge, and “taking history into the next century”. Eliane’s emergence as a notable and unusual jewellery designer seems to have been a lucky accident. After failing to find an engagement ring that she liked for her own engagement, she went, as a long term family customer, to SJ Phillips to customise an old piece for her. This was the start of her collection of remade pieces, like a 19ct butterfly brooch, adapted to be worn as a ring or a hairpiece. The Pensee collection features delicate 19ct gold, enamel and diamond set flowers, especially pansies, originally worn as brooches on the bodice or on a hat, now styled as rings with a diamond stem twisting naturistically to form the shank. Since the mediaeval times the pansy, or heartsease has been a symbol of sentiment, sending the message: Think of Me. The Metamorphosis Chameleon Collection piece, Divine Wisdom, features a c.1890 pave set demantoid garnet lizard with ‘‘ February 2018 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk Natura Morta Buttercup Dia Necklace Valour Band Bernhard Schobinger diamond eyes, symbolic of divine wisdom, reaching for a 2.77 DVVS1 diamond, h