Joanna Cave: Treasure Trove

London correspondent Nicole Dalamagas uncovers hidden treasure

Like Greece itself, whose bustling cobbled streets and white-wash buildings hold the perpetual stamp of the ancient world, Joanna Cave’s jewelry is a quirky fusion of playful contemporary design and archaic inspiration. Each piece captures the simplicity of her Grecian heritage, mirroring the dreamy, turquoise waters and rich, dark brown soils of the Aegean islands. Her du-jour classics revolutionize ancient ideals; twisting something natural and pure into something more tactile and sculptural, adorning women’s ears, wrists and fingers with unexpected drops of sheer modernistic cool.
Even the process encapsulates this: her ultra-chic designs are complemented by her choice of eco-friendly and recycled materials that bear the inexplicable charm of ethical craftsmanship. Yet for Cave, the ingredients of this process are more than just a careful consideration of materials. “The process involved in creating a piece is the combination of silver, a feeling, inspiration, and the imagination of the female body,” she explains. Cave then becomes the ultimate craftswoman: welding high end glamour with organic themes, fusing intricate detailing with subtle simplicity, adding a touch of creative individuality and a dash of urban cool.

On the picturesque Cycladic island of Ios, enveloped in Mediterranean bliss, Cave was brought up by her Greek mother and English father, who became a chief inspiration, both creatively and ethically. “My dad actually studied art, he is an artist, a painter who also owns a shop with designer jewelry. He influenced me a great deal by encouraging me to paint and use my imagination, he also always wanted me to be active and never waste my talent, to fight for good causes and look after the planet. He was also the person who supported me most when deciding to become more ethical and sustainable in my production.” His influence is imperative to each design.



All her jewelry is crafted by hand, using ethically-sustained and recycled materials, “I use mostly recycled silver in my designs. I melt an existing piece of jewelry and use the silver to remake a new piece. I believe in a piece of jewelry holding its own story and personality, but more than anything I believe that the world is full of unwanted pieces that need a new lease of life. If I didn't use recycled silver I would have to buy silver that's been extracted from the earth through mining which contributes to a huge environmental destruction. The working conditions for people working in mines are also very harsh and dangerous.”

By recycling silver, Cave embellishes her fashion-forward followers with more than just glamour and sophistication, but with the treasured story of our natural history. Their bodies become an existential plane of traditionalism and true moral value. This idea of memory and the respect for life has been something Cave has valued from a young age, "(I remember) sitting with my grandmother by the fireplace one Easter evening... listening to stories about the past, about people alive and gone, I remember thinking "how extraordinary life is, how it moves and evolves and people come and go" I remember feeling appreciative of the moment sitting there with her.”



After attending an international school in Athens, Cave studied jewelry design in London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Here she assisted a number of designers, including Scott Wilson and Tanya Griebel. Her notebooks from her student years in London are filled with her artistic inspirations, taken from anything from some far-away country’s folklore art to a tree down at the end of her street to an old children’s book or a piece of vintage wallpaper. Her muses are just as vast and diverse, including “My friend Miranda for her elegant chic, and yet timeless style, and my Aunt Pruedence for her truly fantastic personality and the way in which she lives."

She leads the most spiritual yet modern life, recycles, up cycles, has a compost and basically lives in the most eco friendly way from anyone I've ever met.. also last but not least artist Louise Bourgeois for being so dynamic in every way.

Her latest collection has been inspired by geometric forms and romantic symbols, and patterns evoked from the natural world. Fans can expect delicately cut out drop earrings, such as ‘Anoush’, ‘Agnes’ and ‘Pilar’, charming necklaces, such as ‘Fish’, which features three ethically sustained pearls and a golden fish-shaped pendant, and “Isabel’, with its four gold rings carrying four pieces of colored silver carved into abstract shapes. The pearls used are ethically produced high quality ‘Japanese Akoya’, respecting natural and social fair trade guidelines and the silver is 90% recycled sterling silver sourced by people who enjoy their job and are paid fairly.
Cave’s other artistic endeavors have involved creating pieces for prestigious fashion designers’ Deux Hommes collection and designing a room in the style of her signature jewelry for the Fashion House Hotel in Athens.

A collaboration with her good friend Eleanor Dorian Smith, the fashion designer behind the label Partimi is also on the horizon. Fans can expect “a collection of accessories combining forces and using 'ethically sourced materials.” Hitting shops for SS2011, this collection will no doubt be a sell out. In fact shockingly, despite the simplistic beauty of Cave’s pieces, in terms of both their aesthetic grace and their ethical worth, her prices remain affordable to everyone - for Cave, ethical fashion should not be elitist.

Her collections are sold in the UK, in London and in Brussels, as well as in her current home, Athens, but you can also contact her to request a design. These pieces are truly as remarkable and individual as the designer herself, whose wise words I will leave you with now: ”Be yourself no matter what.” JoannaCave.com NICOLE DALAMAGAS

Catherine Angiel: The Edge

Sean Kiely talks shop with jewelry designer Catherine Angiel

When thinking about high-end jewelry, what comes to mind? Tiffany, Cartier, Choppard and Bvglari are just a few names that many consider to be the classicists of fine jewelry. For decades, New Yorkers have strolled the windows of Fifth Avenue, dreaming of the day they can own a piece of this luxury. What is strange, however, is that most of the recognizable names in this luxurious jewelry industry belong to men. Then along came Catherine Angiel, who did not just take down the walls of fine jewelry design, she busted through them with a sledgehammer.

Angiel isn’t you typical jewelry designer. While she was at the forefront of female jewelry designers, she didn’t attend design school, her pieces don’t retail for outrageous prices and her work experience includes drum solos, as her previous career was a drummer in a Rock 'n' Roll band. As one thing led to another in inspiration began to take control and before she knew it her love of music turned into a profitable design business.

“I’m really inspired by what evokes emotions in me, which is love, romance, music – and that’s how I get my ideas. I can be listening to a song and all of the sudden it will inspire me to create something, hence the "Dangerous" Collection, which is really Rock 'n' Roll inspired.” While music has had the most obvious impact on her opulent creations, the people in Catherine’s life have inspired her as well. “Love is also a fantastic Muse. I’m really inspired by my partner Martha – just her style and the way she puts herself together will give me some ideas.”

Angiel has created five unique collections - Dangerous, Androgyny, Renegade, Delicate and Glam – each evoking Catherine’s fun yet sophisticated spirit. Using distinctive elements and unconventional materials, Angiel creates jewelry bursting with personality, yet remains subtle enough for the red carpet and the mom pushing the baby carriage down the street. “I love working with unusual stones. Whether its black diamonds, or gray diamonds, I’m really inspired by things that are unusual yet can be brought into a classic type of design.” While her pieces might be considered to be dark, they are the perfect combination of a hard attitude and a soft soul.

Angiel’s designs are made for a wide array for clientele, and many times she works with her clients to make sure what they wear is exactly what they want, customizing pieces to any specific need. “I design for a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Angelina Jolie. To me, those are powerful women in their own right, one being more demure, the other being out there and more edgy, but I still get that feminine, delicate, yet sexy twist.”

Angiel, like her clients, is a strong woman with visions of success. Celebrities like Megan Fox, Lindsay Lohan, Ashley Olsen, Sandra Bullock, Rhianna, Parker Posie, Mary Louise Parker, Rosario Dawson, The Pussycat Dolls and Sarah Jessica Parker have all been seen rocking pieces from Angiel’s collections.

One of the most important lessons Angiel has learned over the years however, is that often times the vision of success means remaining true to one’s self. “I know I have to do what’s in my heart, and I have to design what I’m feeling. It has to be less about ‘What does the client want?’ because when I design what I think the client is going to want and I don’t feel it, it’s the ring that doesn’t sell.” It is with this attitude that Angiel is seeing plenty of sales and noticeable press.

Of the highlights of her career, Angiel mentions the independent film The Guitar, in which her jewelry was exclusively used as a definitive element in the story telling of the movie. “(The producer) felt that our pieces really matched what the actress was going though in the movie. It worked in unison... and was a great match for the movie. It was truly an honor.”

While it seems that Angiel is well on her way to conquering women’s jewelry, her next move is taking on the men’s side. “There was a void for jewelry for men. It was either something plain or something vile. Men would love jewelry, if it were cool. Jewelry is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be expressive.” And expressive it is–her lighting bolt cuff links and cross necklaces will add a touch of edge to any outfit, with no motorcycle required. With the men’s collection already in motion, Angiel hopes to one day push the envelopes even further. “I love designing homes and gardens. I’m an artist and my pallet choices are precious stones and unusual metals, but to me art is everywhere. Anything that follows creation I would love to push my brand into.” If her boutique on Greenwich Avenue is any indication of her interior design capabilities, she will create some awesome places to call home.

In every ring, necklace and bracelet Angiel produces, her femininity with a punk edge shines through, providing clients with an individual sense of “something different and fresh... without any constraints.” While she might not have the brand name status of other designers in her genre, her pieces hold a name for them selves, and could help you build a name too. Angiel’s something shiny might not come in a little blue box, but it will get you some big attention.