The Journey of Bespoke
The bespoke commissioning process is one of extraordinary intimacy. For me, making jewels is not just about sublime craftsmanship, it’s about meaningful connection, too. I’ve always been interested in stories, and when a client lays theirs before me, and asks me to work on a chapter of it, there’s an honour to that, as well as a sense of creative fulfilment.
Each piece has its own tale to tell. I want clients to fall in love with the stories behind their design, along with those of the craftsmen and women who bring it to life. The heritage of commissioning is a fascinating one – not just the legends of gems smuggled across borders, but mastery of ancient techniques, and eccentric histories of individual commissions. There’s a power to all of these.
One of my favourite stories concerns Sita Devi, Maharani of Baroda who, in exile, sold a pair of jewelled anklets to Harry Winston. He reset the cabochon emeralds and rose-cut diamonds into a necklace that was bought by Wallis, Duchess of Windsor. Years later, the two women met at a ball. Recognising the stones, the maharani whispered to Wallis, “The emeralds that adorn your neck at one time caressed my feet.” The humiliated duchess returned the piece the next day.
Those stones were not just a source of portable wealth for the maharani –and there’s a long history of gems being thought of in this way – but a repository of stories. They had tales to tell long before they adorned the neck of an American-born duchess, or the ankles of an Indian princess: of the earth in which they were formed, the families who dug them out, the experts who cut them, and the traders who passed them on.
Then there are the meanings and properties attached to them. Whole geological and cultural histories are wrapped up in every stone – whether that’s the “curse” of the Black Prince’s Ruby (which is actually a spinel), or the love story behind the 69-carat Taylor-Burton Diamond, bought by the actor Richard Burton for his wife Elizabeth Taylor during their first marriage, in 1969.
Many of the commissions that come to me are love stories, the stones imbued with a kind of talismanic sentiment. Gems that have come from a grandmother’s engagement ring to be reset into a new marriage jewel have a kind of protective power, and I recognise that spell they cast. Or stones purchased for their innate beauty by a powerful woman who does me the honour of letting me design a piece that is joyfully unrestrained. Our visions align. These are the moments I love.
There’s something quite private about commissioning, too. My practice is heavily influenced by Indian traditions – where most jewellery-making would happen at home, from stones given as part of a dowry. The craftsman would come to your house and sit at your feet, so the gems never left your sight. It’s a very particular intimacy.
Jewels also have a special energy, a power that comes from being worn against the body. Historically, a talisman would protect us on our journey into the afterlife, as well as on this earthly plane. It might be inscribed with words from the Quran, or magical formulae – working to keep us safe, on an energetic level.
Alongside the spiritual stories, some of the practical aspects of the commissioning process have a history that is equally fascinating: producing models, for example, or gouaches, watercolour illustrations of a piece traditionally undertaken by high-jewellery houses in order to keep a record of their gems. Today, it’s a process more often digital than hand-done, which might be less poetic, but still speaks to a heritage that found its apotheosis in the work of Suzanne Belperron. This 20th-century French jewellery designer created sensual pieces of arresting modernity. Her archive contains almost 10,000 examples of gouaches, which bring her collection vividly to life.
Whatever the nature of a bespoke commission – whether that’s creating jewels from heirloom stones, cutting new gems, incorporating heritage metals or casting with Fairtrade gold – the resulting piece will have its own story to tell: of your inspirations, your experience, and the alchemical connection between us.
