Oliver Bonas has partnered with the V & A to launch a jewellery range inspired by designer Anna Maria Gaithwaite’s silk fabric designs which were created in the 18th century.
“Choosing a design to inspire the new range was the first stage,” explained Oliver Bonas’ senior buyer, Rebecca Jones. “The V&A’s archives are huge, so we had lots of inspiration to choose from and it was really exciting to be working with such a revered name.”
Explained Rebecca: “The botanical-inspired pieces we finally settled on were adapted from the silk fabric designs created by Anna Maria Garthwaite in the 1700s. A pioneering female designer in a male-dominated industry, she was one of the major designers of woven silk for London’s thriving Spitalfields silk industry in the mid-18th century. Her delicate drawing and naturalistic floral sprig patterns brought her enduring fame.”
Oliver Bonas’ senior jewellery designer, Deborah Allen added: “The designs are beautiful, and when we realised they were created by a woman, this really drew us in. Most items in the V&A archive, bar the 20th century onwards, are not credited to women. Anna Maria Garthwaite lived in a time of exploration and industrialisation, when it was important to feel a connection to nature.
“We felt this re-connection to nature was very relevant to our current times and the Oliver Bonas brand. As the colour palettes Garthwaite used are very evocative of the golden autumnal colours in nature, we honoured this by launching the range in September,” she added.
“Several of the pieces have moving parts. For the textured tassel earrings, the tassels swing delicately below the main flower shape. We loved the idea of creating movement where we could within the range so that the pieces catch the light, and these are real showstoppers,’ said Deborah.
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