Jeanne Toussaint. Elsa Perretti. Suzanne Belperron. If you love jewellery, you’ll be familiar with the names of these extraordinary women, each of whom forged her own path and left an indelible mark on the industry.
Toussaint (1887 – 1976) was the visionary creative director responsible for pioneering the vibrant and voluminous motifs at Cartier between 1933 and 1970, including its sensuous, three-dimensional panther, which captured the hearts of luminaries like the Duchess of Windsor and opera star Maria Callas. Meanwhile Perretti (1940 – 2021) brought a catwalk-worthy sensibility to Tiffany & Co. during the 1970s. Crafted in sterling silver, many of her organically-inspired creations – such as the Bone Cuff, Bean Pendant and Scorpion Necklace – helped to elevate the once-humble metal to a luxurious must-have and remain amongst the company’s bestselling designs today. And Suzanne Belperron (1900- 1983) became famous for daring to blend precious gemstones with unconventional materials like rock crystal in her sculptural designs. During the Nazi occupation of Paris in the 1940s, she became a member of the Resistance and bought the jewellery company of her employer, Bernard Herz, giving it her own name to preserve it from being destroyed.
Now a new generation of jewellers has taken up the mantle left by these exceptional women. In an industry navigating economic uncertainty, political instability and the concerns of climate change, they continue to defy conventions and champion both craftsmanship and ingenuity, all in their own inimitable style. In pursuing their passion for creativity, they produce beautiful jewels that shape the desires of women across the globe.
The Innovator: Anabela Chan
“Jewellery is the most magical thing you can wear, it transcends generations and has the ability to bring immense personal joy,” says London-based Anabela Chan, of what drew her to jewellery. “It’s also a chance to escape from the ordinary to a realm where anything is possible.” Born in Hong Kong, she worked in architecture and fashion before earning her Master of Arts degree in goldsmithing & jewellery from the Royal College of Art in 2013. In a quest for greater sustainability wherever possible, Chan blends her love of science with botanically inspired designs that are worn by stars like Beyoncé, Rihanna and Taylor Swift. Her collections have included recycled aluminium cans, ethically farmed pearls, and reconstituted stones created from cast-off materials. Fruit Gems, her latest venture, is a range of colourful jewels made from pigments derived from fruit and vegetable waste set in a plant-based resin that can be cast like metal or faceted like a gemstone
The Ethical Champion: Pippa Small MBE
Renowned for her ‘talismans for modern life’, Pippa Small’s entire career has been guided by her interest in human rights, indigenous communities and preserving traditional craftsmanship. In 2008, she began partnering with the charity Turquoise Mountain to support artisans in countries affected by conflict such as Myanmar, Afghanistan and the Levant, protecting traditional craftsmanship and livelihoods and providing a platform for education. In 2021, she and a colleague also founded their own NGO, Zindagi Now, in Kabul as “a space for women to learn jewellery-making and business skills together.” Her colourful pieces are all handmade, with a textural quality steeped in the stories of ancient cultures. “Making has a profound power. It creates confidence, independence and hope,” she says. “When the world feels smaller, harsher and divided, I love that my clients choose to wear these pieces as talismans, expressions of solidarity and appreciation for human connection.”
The Pearl Revisionist: Melanie Georgacopoulos
Once relegated to our grandmother’s jewellery boxes, pearls have undergone an image overhaul in recent years, thanks in no small part to Greek designer Melanie Georgacopolous. During her master’s degree at the Royal College of Art, she began experimenting with sliced pearls, incorporating their tree ring-like interiors into her sculptural jewels – a technique she carried into her own eponymous brand, which she founded in 2010. “I was trying to understand what was inside the pearl and how it was made, and this idea of exploring how they could be integrated in contemporary culture,” she explains. “I think it was also my way of refusing to accept conventional ideas of what gemstones could or should look like.” Likewise, as head designer at Japanese pearl jeweller Tasaki, she has slashed, studded and faceted lustrous Akoya pearls like precious stones, threaded them onto slinky bracelets and sandwiched them between twisting chains, creating collections that are both timeless and utterly directional.
The Boundary Breaker: Thelma West
Born in Lagos, West has been immersed in the world of diamond dealing and jewellery design for almost two decades. But her fascination with sparkle began much earlier. “I grew up watching the women around me enjoy adornment. Jewellery was always part of the ritual of getting ready, something emotional, expressive and shared,” she says, of her Nigerian upbringing. “Beyond the beauty of it all, I was intrigued by how these objects deeply matter to us, emotionally.” After studying in Antwerp, West endeavoured to become a diamond trader but found, as a woman, her entry into the world of stone-dealing was far from straightforward. Indeed, she often had to send a male business partner into meetings to do deals on her behalf. West later channelled her frustration into two separate companies: Yeraua Diamond, an ethical sourcing company she founded in 2008, and her own gemmological lab, IGR London, which grades gemstones for retailers and jewellers. In 2012, she also established her own design studio, creating bold and eclectic pieces inspired by the sculptural work of JAR, Wallace Chan and Suzanne Belperron.
The Diamond Disruptor: Jessica McCormack
Though she is the daughter of an antiques dealer, Jessica McCormack takes a resolutely modern approach to designing jewellery. Born and raised in New Zealand, she moved to London in her twenties to intern at Sotheby’s jewellery department. It was here that she fell in love with the idea of creating her own pieces and, crucially, with the Georgian-era goldsmithing techniques that have informed her work ever since. “I wanted to recreate them, but in designs that made them relevant and wearable for women today,” she says. Her informal, ‘daytime diamonds’ philosophy can be felt throughout her expressive collections, which seamlessly blend heirloom-worthy weightiness and craftsmanship with a playful, fashion-forward approach that has garnered her a loyal fanbase, including Margot Robbie, Zendaya, Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley, and Zoë Kravitz. The latter even signed up to be McCormack’s official ambassador and muse in 2024, which coincided with her brand’s expansion into the United States.
