Style NOV (05.11.16)

24 Style | home
How would you describe your designs?
Timeless in appearance and designed for the modern woman to
cherish for a lifetime.
You work primarily with diamonds, can you tell us what it is about
diamonds that you love?
I find my inspiration in them. Each one has an individual character
and personality. I’ll never cease to be amazed by the fact that one
of the earth’s hardest materials is also one of its most beautiful.
Early memory of jewellery and do you have an heirloom piece?
I have a photo of myself and my sister covered in our
grandmother’s costume jewellery when we were three and five
years old; I don’t know if this triggered something to be realised
later. I also always remember fondly my grandmother removing
a clip earring to talk on the telephone, which I feel influences me
today with my love of a clip-on. I started collecting New Zealand
greenstone jewellery with my father in my teenage years and have a
large collection of very cherished pieces.
From where can your pieces be bought?
Until now just at the one place, my townhouse store in Mayfair
London. The house offers clients a unique experience when they
visit because Mayfair retains the character of a village in the heart of
London, which is quite a different experience to Bond street. I also
think that jewellery should be sold in a relaxed environment, you
need to be able to handle a jewel and try it on to see how it works
with the body. The house is an inspiring space full of art sourced
from all over the world. It is a collector’s space, constantly evolving
and mutating into something new. I love mixing eras and genres. Art
within the house sits comfortably alongside the jewellery. we want
Mini
Tattoo
Pendant
Mini Tattoo
diamond Earrings
Pear
shape
Peach
Pendant
clients to feel at home and welcome them to sit in the library or the
garden and stay a while.
Excitingly we are about to work with the simon James Concept
store in Auckland on a pop-up, so for a period there will be another
location in the world where my pieces can be purchased.
How would you describe your own style?
I like to keep things quite minimal, not overly complicated or fussy.
A crisp white shirt, jeans, amazing heels and diamonds – that’s pretty
much my perfect outfit. But I am also an ‘old-world’ girl at heart and
love the idea of dressing up.
Do you have a favourite place to visit when you come back to
Christchurch?
My mum’s house. It’s the first place I go to every time I come back.
NZ stockist – www.simonjamesdesign.com
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