Blingin’ lovely
We’ve gone bonkers for this diamond bubble ring at Muddy. But you don’t have to shell out £4k – Strange The Jewellers are giving it away. Bling it on.
This bobby dazzler is a Bubble Ring, a sparkly vision of loveliness that’s contemporary yet classic. To the top of my birthday wishlist you go, my beauty! And that includes to oneself, right? It’s October, in case you’re wondering. Better still, you can win it – 1 carat of diamonds and it’s worth a whopping £4,350. And there’s plenty more where that came from…
Strange The Jewellers is celebrating its 100th birthday by giving away an eye-watering £25,000 worth of blingy prizes over 100 days. What’s on the competition carousel? Obviously, if If list all the prizes, we’ll be here until Christmas and I’ll ruin the surprise. So I thought I’d introduce to some of our favourite designers whose pieces are up for grabs.
Then pop into Strange The Jewellers on Bush Walk, Wokingham, fill out your details on a card (no purchase necessary) and drop it into the giant glass vase. Then cross your fingers and keep your eye out on their Facebook page to see if you name’s pulled.
SHAUN LEANE
He’s the man or brought the bling to Alexander McQueen, mulit-award-winning jewellery designer Shaun Leane fuses fashion and craftsmanship to create unusual, edgy and feminine pieces regularly worn by celebs including Meghan, Duchess of Susses, Rita Ora, Lady GaGa, Jamie King, Dame Helen Mirren, to name a few.
Taking his inspiration from the worlds of art, fashion, history and nature, Shaun combines his traditional goldsmith skills and early days restoring antiques with a fashion slant from his years working with McQueens. We especially love the elegant yet edgy hook and cat claw earrings, necklaces and bracelets from the Signature collection. He’s a man who makes the seemly impossible a beautiful reality.
FEI LUI
Fei Liu is no slouch: the first ever Chinese student at Birmingham School of Jewellery two decades ago, Designer Of The Year at the UK Jewellery Awards in 2016, his trinkets are regularly featured in glossy fashion mags and he has a loyal celebrity fan base. You want names? Alrighty, Eva Longoria, Amanda Holden, Jodie Kidd, Zawe Ashton and Laura Whitmore.
His work is unusual and delicate. We especially love the filigree ‘Cascade’ and ‘Serenity’ necklaces, rings and earrings that evoke flowers unfurling their petals in the sunshine (he’s inspired by British blooms such as peonies and roses).
CLOGAU
Welsh gold, the must-have precious metal for royal brides. If you like your bling to have airs and graces, heritage and provenance, then Clogau is it. A second generation family business based in Wales, every piece in their collection contains rare Welsh gold, used in wedding rings for the Queen Mother, The Queen, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, Princess Diana, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
The stand out collection for 2018 is the Lyra Collection, inspired by the night sky and the 88 shining constellations. The twinkling Lyra is one such constellation and represents the lyre – an old musical instrument with strings.
RACHEL GALLEY
When your CV lists Boodles, Stephen Webster, Links of London as previous employers and a First Class Honours degree from Centre St Martin’s, you know you’ve hit the jackpot. Say hello to Rachel Galley, a multi-award-winning jewellery designer focussed on creating pieces that are fun and fashionable with a wow.
One of the most beautiful pieces can be found in the Molto collection – each piece containing silver (or 18K gold) tassels. Now you might think it would stab you every time you wear it. Au contraire. It’s tactile, silky and looks amazing on. Available in 30, 24 and 18-inch necklaces, as well as a bracelet and earrings.
CLAUDIA BRADBY
Not just the wife of ITV news anchor Tom Bradby aka serial-royal-wedding-guest and mate to Prince William, Claudia Bradby also designs jewellery – and she has this thing for pearls (thanks to a time living in Hong Kong). There will be no need for a twinset, these beauties are modern, affordable and worn by all the Middleton women, as well as an army of fashion influencers.
The simple yet striking Geometric Collection could not be further away from a traditional pearl necklaces. The angular structure of the silver and lustrous freshwater pearls are so cool your aged aunt will be clutching her ropes in horror. Pearls are back big time, thanks to Gucci, so get you mitts on this universally flattering jewel.
Now you know how seriously good the jewellery is at Strange The Jewellers, race you down there to put your name in the prize draw – I mean our chances have got to be good when there’s 100 prizes being given away! Alternatively, be blinded by bling, create your birthday/ Christmas wish list or just blow up your credit card. Resistance is futile.
Strange The Jewellers, 7-8 Bush Walk, Wokingham RG40 1AT. Tel 0118 978 5582
2 comments on “Blingin’ lovely”
Thank you for including our Cascade and Serenity collections in your list.
How could we not include them? Gawjus!