Gill Wing Jewellery

Interview with Gill Wing Jewellery

Gill Wing Jewellery have a truly impressive array of designs sourced from some of the leading jewellery designers in London. UK Adapta were able to conduct an interview with Gill Wing's jewellery buyer and find out why their brand and work ethos puts them streaks ahead of their competitors.

- Tell us about the history of Gill Wing Jewellery.

G: Gill Wing jewellery opened over 12 years ago in a small boutique on Upper Street. It was an opportunity to showcase the elite of contemporary jewellery design and run very much like a gallery space. It had a very cosy and intimate feel. After many successful years the opportunity arose to move to a larger venue at 182 Upper Street.

The current shop has architect designed cabinets and features the most sought after designs in contemporary jewellery.

- How would you describe your company's style? Do you try to be known for a certain type of jewellery design or do you attempt to cover many different styles?

G: We like to be eclectic! Customers are always suprised by the diversity of designs when they enter the gallery for the first time. All of the work is created by individual designer-makers and with over 60 designers showing at any one time you can imagine it is a treasure trove of visual delights! I would say that the work on display could not be categorised as fine jewellery or fashion jewellery but focusses on individual expression and contemporary design.

- You mentioned that your collections are 'design-led'. Can you tell us a little bit about the artists you currently work with?

B: We have a fantastic new selection of work coming in to the gallery in March featuring the designs of:
Tusheeta David who takes us on a flight of fantasy with her Veiled Existence collection in acrylic.
Melanie Tomlinson who creates charming anodised aluminium moth and bird brooches.
Anke Hennig weaves delicate nylon neckpieces using a technique developed whilst studying textiles in Germany.
Abigail Percy is a very creative soul. Her jewellery designs are exquisite silver sillhouettes and her eye for colour is divine. And finally, I have never seen acrylic look so serene as Rita Baek’s cloud series. These are sophisticated statement pieces.

- Why did you choose their particular collections?

G: I find it is interesting to work on the basis of themes and select makers who will compliment each other. Blooming Marvellous is our newest showcase featuring the above makers. I wanted to take our visitors in to a strangely beautiful wonderland of springtime creations. All of the designers included take inspiration from bottanical elements but they represent them using unusual materials like spun nylon or flourecent laser etched plastic. I love to present contrasts that challenge the viewers preconceptions of jewellery.

- Over the years, what/who would you say has been your strongest source of inspiration?

G: Having a varied role within the jewellery industry as an apprentice jeweller, designer maker, lecturer, customer and gallerist has had the biggest impact on my life and allowed me to encounter many wonderful people. However working as an apprentice jeweller for Chris Phillipson MA(RCA)? was a great experience. Individual designer makers can learn so much from each other. Chris was always very generous with his knowledge.

- What is the most important facet to pay attention to in jewellery design?

G: I respect designers who are able to create something unique through the selection of material, inspiration or technique. From the perspective of a gallerist I would say that I always look for attention to detail and quality of workmanship. Buyers of jewellery appreciate work that looks and feels fantastic on the body.

- Do you have any favourite materials/fabrics and/or special techniques you enjoy displaying at the shop?

G: It is always exciting to find a new designer who is working in a way that I have not seen before.
Blanka Sperkova uses finger knitted wire to create surreal creatures, her work amazes me everytime.

Laura Jayne Strand designs are sculpted and sleek. She is a colleague and it is always a pleasure to sell one of her pieces.
John Moore creates optical illusions with his Vane series using anodised aluminium and rubber. They are very architectural but feel suprisingly light and flexible on the body.
Sarah Herriot employs new technologies including rapid prototyping to create her hugely popular twist pendants.
Jessica De Lotz narrative based designs steal snippets of style from victorian pocket watches and combine them with her own signature wax seals.
These are just a few of my gallery favourites.

- What are your opinions on the current European jewellery/fashion scenes?

G: I find that the jewellery scenes within Europe is very varied. For example, the jewellery markets in Spain and Italy tend to focus on fine jewellery, often gold pieces with precious stones. In stark contrast with Germany, The Netherlands and Scandinavia, who have a great appreciation for contemporary and art based jewellery. I think a lot of this is down to cultural differences, which makes Europe an interesting and diverse place for jewellery. I personally think being based in London is particually exciting as we have so many different cultures here which influence our city. We have a rich heritage of jewellery leading to exciting designers working in this city.?

- Are there any plans and goals for the shop/company in the near and distant future?

G: We have been developing our online blog:

gillwingjewellery.wordpress.com This will allow our customers to keep up to date with recent developments in the gallery.

Do you have some words of wisdom for any young designers and our readers?

G: Believe in happy accidents.

www.gillwing.co.uk/jewelleries/

Written by Nashrin Azad