EDITOR’S LETTER
CONTRIBUTORS
Innovation Station
CONTRIBUTORS
CHLOE KIND
Chloe spoke to us
on behalf of the
jewellery designer
Annie Haak, who
gets most of the
inspiration for her
pieces from the
island of Bali where
she is based for
most of the year
JOANNA
HARDY
Joanna is a senior
jewellery specialist
with over 30
years’ experience
working with
jewellery with past
roles spanning
across the whole
industry and globe
JANET FITCH
Janet is a veteran
JF columnist, and
has written for
both magazines
and newspapers
including the Sun
and the Daily Mail,
later owning her
own jewellery
shops
LEONARD ZELL
Leonard has
been training fine
jewellers for 25
years. His monthly
column gives
some top tips on
sales training and
improving your
bottom line
ON THE
COVER
FEATURE
August 2017 | www.jewelleryfocus.co.uk
£5.95 | ISSN 2046-7265
It’s no secret that consumer technology
pervades almost everything we do nowadays,
but a perhaps under-reported but clearly
associated phenomenon is the impact it is
having on design and creativity. This month
alone, I have a seen a slew of brands designing
and manufacturing jewellery pieces which
take their inspiration from computing and
precision engineering.
For instance, we have Bailey of Sheffield, which has teamed up with
aerospace and motorsport coatings specialist Wallwork Cambridge
to customise its stainless steel necklaces and bracelets. The newest
addition to the range is a set of beads, described as “finely machined
cylinders in different geometries”. The bracelet itself uses a physical
vapour deposition (PVD) process, and the items to be coated are
rotated on a carousel within a vacuum chamber where a donor
material in a crucible is bombarded with a high-energy electron beam.
This vaporises the donor material which is drawn to and condenses
on the surface of the item to be coated under the influence of a
negative electrical charge. Sound techie to you? It does to me.
Next there’s men’s jewellery designer, Vanacci, which has brought
out a line of fragrance-infused jewellery inspired by the lunar
calendar. The Nightfall range has been designed to feature phases of
the moon and it incorporates a patented ‘Lockstone’ material, which
allows the wearer to spray a scent on the product and have it diffuse
throughout the day. When sprayed on the jewellery, the longevity
of the fragrance is said to be increased by seven times compared to
wearing it on the skin.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that in a generation of iPhone-
wielding, Snapchat-sharing, Starbucks-freelancing people, designers
see a market for jewellery created in weird and wonderful ways.
Ranges such as these reflect the zeitgeist in a manner that speaks
directly to how far humankind has come in the invention and
innovation stakes. Some may see it as gimmickry and a cynical
marketing ploy – after all, who needs a bracelet that can withstand
extreme temperatures or air-resistance? But really, all jewellery is
pure frivolity and pleasure. No-one actually needs a pendant or a
diamond ring, so why not extend that philosophy to some design
quirks that chime with the times we live in?
I hope you enjoy the issue.
JAILHOUSE
JEWELLERY
BCU jewellery lecturer
Andrew Howard on
encountering an
imprisoned jeweller on
America’s death row
LUXURY
WEARABLES
Wearable tech has given itself a
luxe makeover - is there demand?
JEWELS WITH
A SCENT
Vanacci explains the science and
process behind its newest release
PEARLS OF
THE OCEAN
The history and formation of the
extraordinary South Sea Pearls
15
Joanna Hardy - Page 28
SOCIAL MEDIA
How do you use it to
drive sales?
August 2017 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk
48 28
SALES SKILLS VIRTUAL LEARNING
How to find the best jewellery
sales assistants
The first online jewellery
school launches
MICHAEL NORTHCOTT
Editor, Jewellery Focus
JEWELLERY FOCUS
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