An Exhibition of Fine Jewellery, Diamonds and Precious Coloured Gemstones
I attended an event last week and saw some of the most magnificent fine jewellery recently presented in London. These extraordinary jewels were created by a friend of mine, Ines Aitken. The exhibit was held at Simon Dickinson Gallery on Jermyn Street, the most fashionable street in London back in the 17th-18th century. To this very day Jermyn Street is lined with old shops that hold ‘royal warrant’, and still cater to the desires and whims of the royals and members of the court, and of course, the old rich (members of the British aristocracy), and the nouveau riche (like the Beckhams, Mittals, et al).
As soon I walked into the gallery, I immediately noticed the stunning large prints hanging on the walls as shown below.
Ines was recently chosen as one of “The Hottest Young Jewellers on the Block” by Tatler UK. The opening of her show at the Dickinson Gallery last week was spectacularly done, and well attended by her clients — some famous celebrities and members of the British aristocracy — as well as her family and friends. It was a blessing to have been invited as always, and I blogged about one of her events here.
To get a glimpse of her fabulous creations was a real feast for the eyes. Nothing short of superb in design and craftsmanship. It was utter refinement from the invite to the gallery set up; the decor and the prints hanging on the walls; the drinks and canapés; the jewellery presentation — everything was perfection!
Ines used to produce a new collection every season that were sold at Harvey Nichols in London, Dubai, and other high end department stores in other European cities, but now she only does bespoke high end jewellery. The photos I included here are just some of the pieces she recently produced for some of her clients. Everything is extraordinarily beautiful, big, bold, highly decorative yet very feminine and luxurious. She also produced a beautiful coffee table book (though not for sale) to showcase her creations. Just like any of the events she organised in the past, it was a fantastic show. A very classy opening night of her exhibition.
Ines has a college degree in art history and a masters degree in art business. Her passion for ancient jewellery is inspiring largely because it’s very much based in human stories; she often talks about the type of jewelries that women wore in ancient Rome and Greece, and that enthusiasm is evident in all of her jewellery designs. She has an extensive knowledge about art history, and I love listening to her stories not just about jewels and antiquity, but also about family, and a whole lot of other things we talk about when we get together. She started creating jewelries when she left her job at Sotheby’s. She is raising two small children, and works hard trying to fit in her jewellery business in between the demands of motherhood/family life. Ines is my only friend in London outside of the church that reaches out to me in ways that only one other friend (Yasmin, another mum and church mate) actually does. Ines is very sweet and kind, quite sympathetic and sensitive. Not having any children of my own, I greatly appreciate her always reaching out to me sharing the joys and challenges of motherhood; she does include me in her children’s lives such as playdates, birthday parties, and other milestone. It’s been a great blessing to have her as a friend.