THE CLAUDIA BRADBY BLOG

I’ve always found that time travel fires my imagination, so I couldn’t help but wonder what Princess Elizabeth would have felt, 60 years ago, as she travelled back from Kenya.  Not only to face the devastation of losing her father, but  the huge task of ascending to the throne.  Reel forward 60 years and she has achieved something that is unlikely to ever be matched, and has only occurred once in our history before. 60 years on the throne.  It is a reign that has seen 13 British prime ministers from Churchill to Cameron, 11 US presidents from Truman to Obama. It has seen a man reach the Moon, the Cold War almost from its beginning all the way to its end, the fall of the USSR, and peace arising in Ireland after centuries of troubles. Not to mention her values of understatement, decency and substance rippling and concreting out across the commonwealth.  And, it is said, she had to use ration coupons to buy material for her wedding dress!  Hard to countenance, today.

It is this heritage that inspired and informed my summer jubilee collection, and in particular the JUBILEE NECKLACE, as shown above. An extraordinary life, spanning a large library of our history, that needed to be marked. I wanted to create something to remember this not-to-repeated-ever-again moment with.

So I was thrilled when I found out that the Assay office had commissioned a commemorative hallmark, and one that was really modern and usable.  What better stamp to have?  Add to this a seed pearl (always favoured by royalty – the queen had over 10,000 sewn into her wedding dress), plus my sparkling (diamond) chain and the necklace started to make sense of it all.

Designed to mark this incredible moment in time.  To create a tangible link to 60 years of history, and to celebrate quality, style, decency and longevity.  But most of all, to remember by.  I can’t wait for mine to arrive, but you can pre-order yours here (wait-listed until 5th march).  And if you ‘like’ my page on facebook you are in with a chance to win yourself a properly nice piece of history, too!

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A month ago, five customers took on the challenge to ‘road-test’ a necklace from our winter Arctic Fox range, for a month.  And we’ve just heard back from them.  Read what they found out:

What did you think of the packaging and delivery service?

‘delivery sevice excellent… arrived promptly by recorded delivery’  Jessica

‘thrilled when I opened the gift box’  Sue

‘prompt delivery in a lovely box’  Lizzie

‘I liked the presentation and elegant colour, along with the little card inside’  Rhian

What was your first reaction to the jewellery?

‘My first reaction was how beautiful and delicate it looked, it’s very tactile and unusual.  It felt more of a ‘statement’ piece than my usual simpler necklaces and I wasn’t sure if it was going to work for me.  As I got used to wearing it and tried it with different outfits I was completely won over to its versatility’  Rhian (Kiss me kate, N2).

‘It isn’t a necklace I would have chosen for myself, but the silver pearls are lovely and look great against fair skin….I love it so much, I had to buy the matching bracelet.  I have a silver key necklace (from Tiffany) which I find rather heavy and clunky…but the keys on the pearl necklace are far more delicate and look very pretty with the smoky quartz charm’   Sue  (Tiffany pearl necklace, N9)

‘Very pretty and slightly more delicate than I had expected…came into its own when worn.  As soon as I put it on I was delighted with it and it exceeded my expectation….length perfect, silvery frosty shades are very flattering’ Jessica (Vixen necklace, N4)

Has it adapted to more than one occasion/look/situation?

‘I have worn my necklace almost every day since I got it and I’m not exaggerating.  It goes with everything and does fit that cliche of dressing up or dressing down’  Lizzie (Kiss me kate N2)

‘The necklace looks perfect with almost every outfit, it goes nicely with my little black dress,  but my favourite look – the Tiffany necklace with my warm light grey wool dress – that is my winter’s tale’  Zanda (Tiffany necklace, N9)

‘So versatile and dramatic against a plain black top and jacket…..added delicate sparkle to soft grey patterned silk blouse and added that something extra to a smart casual look of long cashmere cardigan and t-shirt with trousers’  Rhian (Kiss me kate, N2)

What is your favourite design feature of the piece you are roadtesting?

‘I love the length of it and the colours.  It goes with grey, black, navy and brown – pretty much all my clothes’   Lizzie (Kiss me kate, N2)

‘I love the shape of the necklace.  It hangs well to form a simple yet very elegant silhouette’   Jessica (Vixen necklace, N4)

‘Thank you for making such elegant jewellery!’   Zanda (Tiffany necklace, N9)

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With slight tongue in cheek, we have launched our own  MALE HELPLINE  this season,  to help time-strapped guys get the perfect present for the women in their life.  Though we know men hate to ask for advice, when buying for their loved ones we also know they want to get it right.  If you can’t call, we have 6 perfectly chosen bestsellers in our male gift guide, ready to go.  Jewellery is very personal and can be hard to buy, but it is wonderful to receive, and with a little expert advice it is a breeze.   We reckon that the thought behind the purchase produces the  most powerful sentiment – so, take the time,  call, or email us, and get it right this year!

Earlier on this year we got our customers to tell us their ‘jewellery tales’.  The most moving ones were from women who had been given jewellery – it didn’t have to be expensive. The thought behind it, and the subsequent emotional attachment, was sufficient to make it incredibly special.

So come on boys, step up to the mark this year, and give us a call.  We will guarantee that kiss under the mistletoe!  0207 183 4951

NB we’ve extended the last posting date to midday, 23rd December, with guaranteed next day delivery for christmas eve.  Christmas all wrapped up then.

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I have noticed for a while the appearance, in the glossies,  of ads for what I call  ‘serious’ jewellery from fashion houses more normally associated with making their money from perfume, watches and (ocassionally) clothes.  So I was interested to read, recently, that Louis Vuitton is opening a new boutique at 23 Place Vendome next year that Yves Carcelle, their chief exec, is quoted as saying is
‘as fundamental a step for our jewellery collection as our workshop at Asnieres was for our trunks in 1859, or as our workshop in Fiesso d’Aartico in Italy was for our shoes in 2000.’  Wowee.  That’s quite something. Not exactly a soft-launch then. They mean business.

What is interesting is that the jewellery market has to date been under-penetrated by such brands – they only have 12% of the market, compared to 50% of the watches market and 80% of perfumes.  And it is thought that, amongst other drivers,  as Chinese women start to outpace Chinese men as dominant consumers the big brands are keen to be properly represented in the jewellery sector.

Currently, the remaining 88% of the market not occupied by these huge celebrity-led fashion houses, is predominately a sort of  ‘artisan’ sector that allows us (joy, oh joy, no Starbucks equivalent please) to still have a properly imaginative and interesting, non-branded, ‘jewellery high street’ (as such) to choose from.  And I feel that this gives great strength to the design and independence of jewellery.  The personal ‘journey’ of buying and giving jewellery will keep the individual designers in business and I would mourn an overly branded scenario.  However, competition is good and a shake up of the dominant jewellery brands is no bad thing.  Let’s hope for properly creative, well-crafted, results.  I think people are less obvious about their jewellery, and it isn’t a one size fits all industry.

But I can agree with Michael Haydock, IBM retail analytics chief, that jewellery may be considered a safe haven for consumers in this time of economic turmoil.  They have seen jewellery sales rising two months after big stock market swings, which is highly unusual and leads him to conclude that ‘My feeling is that women are extending their wardrobes because of concerns about the economy.  Maybe they are seeing jewellery as a way of extending their wardrobe’.  So much easier to buy one pair of earrings and a couple of necklaces to freshen up your look.

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Jewellery casting for Skeeter

If you choose one film this month, or year, to see in the cinema please go see The Help.  It is an absolutely brilliant film – not simple to categorise, but a very powerful, satisfying and strong drama with incredible  characterisation and pretty faultless casting.  All of humanity was there.  The leads were mesmerising. Don’t delay – go now!  And back to the jewellery casting couch – Skeeter would definitely have worn one of these 3 simple, fine pendants, if she’d had the chance. I love the way the costume ‘people’ differentiated her from her peers with her jewellery.  I urge you to go and watch this amazing film.  I’ll eat my hat (definitely not any chocolate pie) if it doesn’t sweep the board at the Oscars.

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Classic studs for Celia and Hilly?

It’s mid-half term, teenagers in the house, and they aren’t really sure they want to go and watch The Help.  I’m not certain I sold it really hard, as the idea of going by myself, with a friend, and enjoying a brief escape from my loved ones was appealing. And our local cinema lets you take in a glass of wine to accompany you. However all my friends were busy with their kids, and I lost my nerve to go on my own.  But the allure of the film, having avidly read the book and passed it on to everyone I could, is too great and I’m planning a trip on sunday.  With whoever.  Even if I have to miss Downton.  I can’t resist it, and am longing not only to see and hear the story re-told, but to enjoy the sumptuous costumes, jewellery and characterisation.  Taunted by spreads across the fashion pages, it all looks too good to miss.  Especially as they seem to have accessorised so heavily with pearls.   I have to confess to playing the casting parlour game, but with my jewellery – what would Skeeter wear? What would Stuart give her?  Let me know if you’ve seen it, I’d love to know what you think – jewellery casting and all.

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Chip the adjudicator

Congratulations to Zanda Siliniece who has won her necklace of choice – all she had to do was send us her jewellery story to enter our draw.  My belief that jewellery is both very personal, as well as representing great emotional hinterlands, was amazingly illustrated by all your wonderful and touching stories.  I was privately rather thrilled that so many of the entries referred to my designs, many given as cherished gifts.  It was great to hear such strong connections and memories being forged. Here in the office  we have cried with laughter, as well as emotion, and been very moved by your personal stories.  Thank you somuch for sharing them with us all.

I have to divulge that, in compliance with competition rules, the winner was drawn by our office adjudicator – Chip the dog!  Before you think we have gone barking mad (as it were), we felt it the only fair way.  So every name was written down, folded up and each piece of paper scattered across the floor.  He trotted over most of them to finally sniff out the winning entry…  Here is the winning draw story, as well as our office favourites.  It was very, very hard to choose the latter.  Which one would you choose?

The winner of our draw:
‘Claudia Bradby earrings were my first pearl adornments. When I wore them, I heard so many compliments! I never parted with them – I wore them for special occasions and on the weekdays, for work and during holidays…And then I lost one pearl earring at the event where I met my husband. I sometimes joke that it was an even trade – a pearl for love. I am happy – I have a wonderful husband and two kids. We went to Catalonia for our wedding journey.  During our honeymoon he gave me new pearl earrings. Now for me the pearls are associated with the most wonderful moments of my life and they adorn me during special events’.  Zanda Siliniece

The office favourites:
‘I love silver and I am lucky enough to have lots of jewellery, but the thing that stands out is the necklace my husband bought me when we were first married. He has always been terrible at presents and I have gone beyond hinting and actually taken him to the shop and pointed out the one I liked. Come my birthday I was pleased to see the right box – but when I opened it there was a totally different one inside. His response- ‘I didn’t like the other one, this is much better and I will be the one that has to look at you when you wear it.’ (!!) I went back, bought the one I wanted for myself but kept both. I have managed to put up with him for 27 yrs now, and every time I look at that necklace I wonder how.’  Sally Tedder

‘Just over a year ago I travelled to Salcombe with a friend for a wedding. I called into Amelia’s Attic on Fore St and stumbled across Claudia’s jewellery. I immediately loved it and bought a battered heart necklace, bracelet and earrings. These have now become part of me, they go everywhere with me and would be one of things I’d grab in case of a fire. When I recently lost the heart of the bracelet it was as though someone had ripped a piece out of me, thankfully your amazing team sorted it out and I’m complete once again. You’re quite right, jewellery is very personal, I have never thought of it like that before!’  Amanda Tosh

‘My  favourite pair of diamond earrings. I received them for my 21st birthday. It is in a simple setting of studs. It means so much to me because it was given to me by my grandmother on my Mom’s side. They belonged to my Grandmother and she wanted each of her grandchildren to have something of hers. Since I am the oldest she decided to give me her diamond earrings. Every time I wear them I am reminded of her and everything fun we did when I was a child and everything that we have yet to do.’  Kelly Chan

‘My Story:     It’s my birthday! Love from me!                    My Headline:     Light as a feather, heavy on class!
My Claudia Bradby Favourite:    Earrings – elegant design, so light I barely feel them, yet their impact is astonishing- people notice them, comment on them, covet  them. (I’ve bought them as gifts for family and friends). They make me feel so feminine and beautiful!’ Jill Brook

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It seems a long way to go, for a necklace, Hong Kong. Or so it seems as you finalise ideas, tweak the merchandising lists (endless), tie up loose ends at home (dogs, children, and the beloved one), and just about(yikes) remember to organise someone to put out the bins….. But somehow once you are on the other side of the world, it feels exhilarating and full of possibilities. And really normal.

My trip in late September to source materials for Summer 2012 was another vintage week. The process of pulling together ideas and reality is a bit like making a puzzle, being pretty happy with the result, then breaking it up and remaking it in a slightly different way. And being thrilled with the result. Pretty happy is only a good starting point. You don’t want to be left with just ‘pretty good’ at the end of a week buying.

Day 1 is always a bit nerve-wracking.  Will there be enough time, will I find anything really lovely and original?  It is key to maintain  a strong internal dialogue, keep focused, plus, make sure you have plenty of food and drink (I take almonds, dried mango, large bottle of water- my first aid kit as the exhibition halls are a food Gobi desert). Being too linear is not good and you have to balance  responding to new, as well as keeping a firm handle on how the overall shape of the collection is evolving. And it does take on a life of its own. Decisions between 2 beautiful pearls can sometimes be solved by hard headed finance, or by heart ruling the head and both being bought.  Of course it all comes down to decisions, hundreds of tiny ones stacking up and cross-referencing, as well as a good dose of following your nose.

The jewellery highlights of the trip will be available to preview from January 2012 onwards, but the nourishing-the-soul (and did-I-really-do-this??) highlight was my night out c/o my friends craft club. Yes, really. We made a pin board. Now bearing in mind that I have had all the materials, save the board (got stuck sourcing it), sitting at home for an enormous pin-board,  for over 3 years,  it was hugely exciting to bring home a finished product.   It just goes to show you never quite know what you will come home with, but as long as it is really gorgeous the trip can be filed as a properly successful long haul. PS huge thanks to my lovely friend who pre-cut the board to fit into my suitcase, unbeknownst to me. Joy.  (Maybe she was terrified I’d leave it behind for her flat!).

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