jewelry to shell out

Shells have always been used to adorn the body: some of the oldest known pieces of prehistoric jewelry consisted of beads made from perforated sea snail shells. More than 100,000 years later, the motif continues to intrigue: on the runways this season, designers like Coach’s Ulla Johnson and Stuart Vevers transformed miter shells and orange-flecked mollusks into luxurious necklaces and statement earrings, while David Koma placed oysters. layered jingles. -shell necklaces over sparkling cobalt blue gowns.

This season’s fine jewelry collections are also filled with shell and beach motifs. “Jewelry designers are eternally drawn to nature, and we all think of the ocean during the warmer months,” says jewelry historian Marion Fasel, who curated 2021. Beautiful creatures exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, which explored the history of symbols such as starfish and seahorses in jewelry. She says that, just like in the early 20th century, when natural themes were used as a protest against the industrial revolution, “there’s a desire today, especially when we’re all staring at screens all the time, to have something that reminds us of moments in which we connect with nature, and there is a beauty and authenticity in the imperfections of something formed on the beach or in the ocean”.

New Zealand-based Jasmin Scott, founder of an independent jewelery brand jasmine sparrow, says that growing up on the beach in Aotearoa influenced his love for all things sailing. His pieces, including the Mermaid earrings with cascading sea pearls and rhodium and recycled gold studs with wave ripples, blend delicate, organic shapes with the sculptural silhouettes of vintage costume jewelry. “I am lucky to have been immersed in nature, which draws me towards organic lines and materials,” she says.

Cowrie shells are like little treasures of nature.

London based jeweler Jessica McCormackwhose handcrafted pieces are inspired by old family heirlooms, he also dreamed of carefree days by the sea when he designed his Beaches Collection. “I’ve always liked shells as a motif,” she says of her diamond-encrusted scallop pendants and gold bracelets, which mimic the curves of a conch shell. “They are a true hallmark of Georgian jewellery, along with ribbon bows and naturalistic flowers, which I take a lot of inspiration from.”

The collection, which also includes a necklace and anklet entwined with mismatched freshwater pearls and seaweed-green thread, is designed to be “put on without much thought,” says McCormack. “You want to be able to pack the same jewelry for a beach vacation that you’re enjoying in the city.”

This idea is shared by the French jeweler Maison Goossens, whose collaboration with the swimwear brand Eres Includes a summery gold chain adorned with tropical charms that can be worn as a necklace, belt, or double-wrap bracelet—perfect when you’re trying to streamline your suitcase. Pascale Monvoisin, whose work is often inspired by aquatic imagery, designed her new menswear collection to be worn “on the idyllic beaches of Music and in the streets of the cities. With green enamel pendants engraved with palm trees, as well as gold and silver charms shaped like conch shells and branches of fossilized coral, the collection evokes the sun-kissed beaches of the Caribbean and the feeling of ‘getting away from ordinary urban life’. she says. She also has designs that incorporate real cowrie shells along with colored precious gemstones, putting a new twist on the puka shell necklace. “I find it very poetic: this simple, organic object that you can find on the ground, on the beach,” says Monvoisin. “They are like little treasures of nature.”

Mother-daughter design duo Alexia and Stalo Karides, whose conscious jewelery brand YSSO Based on traditional Greek designs, they drew inspiration from the delicate spiny spherical shells of sea urchins for their oversized sculptural earrings. “For us, they symbolize those early childhood memories of diving and seeing the hazy shapes of sea urchins at the bottom of the ocean, the innocence and joy of discovery and the joy of summer,” says co-founder Alexia Karides. “They bring a feeling of nostalgia and excitement at the same time.” They are jewels for diving.