Shimell and Madden (UK) – Hypnotizing motions of necklaces in a gold prism.
A rainy morning in London is hardly a surprise for anyone. 😉 We were driving to our first meeting, which is why I was nervously checking my watch, trying not take it out of the umbrella’s range. We got there all soaking wet with our hearts racing, but we were on time. The door to the remarkably artistic studio was opened for us by a cheerful and beautiful brunette – Emma. After taking our drenched clothes off, she hugged us and the unnecessary nervousness all vanished. 😉 The designer prepared two elegant, beautifully padded, black boxes for our meeting. Having put them on the table, full of charisma, she started telling us how together with Luke they create two collections per year and participate in about 6-8 jewelry exhibitions in Great Britain, as well as the USA and Europe. The boxes contained selected bijoux from the collection: Orb, Prism, Centric and Cuboid. All of the products were gorgeous; I didn’t know which one to hold first. I had only seen them earlier on the screen of my MacBook, but that day I could try them on as much as I wanted. I love that feeling… We kept inspecting and laughing that it’s not a museum and no one’s gonna threateningly wag their finger at me for touching. I have to admit that each element was made with great precision. Emma told us how she had met Luke Shimell while working at a small jewelry studio in Devon, on the southwest coast of Great Britain. They shared inspirations – love for science, math and designing. They perfectly complete each other at work. Emma excels at crafting and conceptual designing, while Luke’s experience as a goldsmith allows them to develop complex projects with incredible accuracy. While creating jewelry, they pay close attention to the selection of metals and techniques. They’re also fascinated with crystallography, which is shown in their designs, where every valuable gem is placed in the center and the surrounded by small diamonds. I liked how some necklaces were covered by gold texture, which does not shine and doesn’t feel soft. The jewelry resembles ancient architecture, having that purity of classical geometry. Some collections remind me of Victorian style combined with a touch of modernism and abstraction. Round red rubies or geometrically cut agate – placed in the center are simply hypnotizing. All they need is a little blow or touch to be put into motion. Trust me, it was really difficult to part with them…
Emma Madden and Luke Shimell have been working since 2010 in their studio in Shoreditch, London that they share with other designers – Tina Lilienthal and a Polish designer Tomasz Donocik. We didn’t get the chance to meet Tomasz, but you can read about Tina’s jewelry next week.
Designer Emma Madden 🙂
Where to find: Shimell & Madden / FB