Big Chunky Jewellery

Chunky driftwood bangle

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:06:30 +0000

Simple but very effective – this bangle made from driftwood and emerald at Accessories Direct.

I’ve had a break from looking endlessly at jewellery so it was fun to see what’s come along while I’ve been gone.

This bangle from Leju caught my eye. Leju were one of the first companies to realise the potential of vegetable ivory (tagua nuts) and No, I don’t need any more emails offering to sell me tagua nuts, thank you. Maybe it’s because I’m vegetarian that the idea of “vegetable ivory” appealed. Anyway the ring I bought several years ago lived up to their description and so I always look out for their name.

It seems they’ve moved on now, but are still combining contemporary, European design with natural materials, and flair, of South America. A big ask but I think they’ve done that here – a bangle of driftwood, studded with emerald and pyrite that you can see closer up here.

These are products handmade from natural materials so expect each one to be slightly different, though the cuff will be roughly 70mm wide and round (that’s almost 3 inches if you still prefer to think in metric). No variation in price – it’s always £45.

If you’re not sure what I mean by vegetable ivory, there’s also a bracelet in red, white and black made of ‘stones’ in varying sizes.

If this doesn’t take your fancy then have a look through the list of suppliers.

Incoming search terms:

Upcycled jewellery reaches new heights

admin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:52:10 +0000

The Natural Store - Home to the World's Finest Ethical Brands">

I’m taking a breather from the review of suppliers as I stumbled upon this fantastic range of jewellery at The Natural StoreWho’d have thought the humble plastic bottle could end up looking like this. This glorious ring called Apple is the creation of Tonya O’Hara and the whole range of PET:cell jewellery can be found at The Natural Store.

I like the way the ring is chunky and yet fragile at the same time. If you follow fashion trends then you’ll know the move is towards just one dramatic piece and what could be more dramatic than this? This really does live up to the idea of jewellery as wearable art and you’d need to bear that in mind with this ring – you wouldn’t want to be thrusting your hand into tight jeans’ pockets without removing it first.

The Natural Store">The ring costs £50 and this bangle costs £40. The bangle has matching ear-rings which repeat the bobbles and rejoice in the name of Jelly Chandeliers at £25

I look at a lot of recycled and upcycled jewellery but this range jumped out at me as the design is so strong and it looks so fantastic without the added interest of it being made from plastic bottles. To see the whole of the PET:cell range just go to The Natural Store

Incoming search terms:

Suppliers of chunky jewellery part 6 – UK Fair Trade sites

admin — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:12:21 +0000

The Natural Store - Home to the World's Finest Ethical Brands">

I’ve written about Kayoo jewellery several times and it’s outstanding if you’re looking for fair trade jewellery – that and the site that supplies it – The Natural Store Before I’ve focussed on the rosewood jewellery in the Kayoo range, so for a change this is coconut wood. I’d not come across it before, it’s interesting, has the look of leopard skin almost. The ring costs £14 and it’s made by a family concern in Bali.

Everything at The Natural Store has an ethical stamp of some kind – it’s either recycled, organic, fair trade or any combination of those.

Please note the jewellery I’m looking at here claims to be fair trade – that space between the words makes a lot of difference. If something is “Fairtrade” it means the supplier has jumped through the hoops and been checked out to obtain the right to use that label, otherwise it means there’s a commitment to offer better trading conditions for producing, usually in developing countries.

You’ll also find fair trade products at the suppliers I’ve reviewed before. So, for instance, this necklace from Not on the High Street, is sold by someone certified by the World Fair Trade Organisation who sells products that combine contemporary design with traditional skills of artisans in India.

It’s very pretty which is fitting as it’s made by Preeti, using glass and recycled aluminium. Apparently it’s inspired by water, but although predominantly blue and turquoise there are all kinds of colour and texture in there.

It costs £22 from notonthehighstreet.com

Made UK has a similar approach in that it takes the creations of top class designers in this country and has the items made overseas, this time in Africa.

This stunning ring is made of recycled glass, set in hand-bezeled brass. As with all handmade items, each one will obviously be slightly different. The ring costs £30 from Accessories Direct. As an added bonus, each one comes in a pouch of vivid fabric from the Soko co-operative in Kenya.

So there you have it – three possible places to look for jewellery that’s not only beautiful but brings benefit to others.

If you’re still not satisfied you can see a full list of chunky jewellery suppliers here.

Incoming search terms:

Suppliers of chunky jewellery – part 5 – spoiled for choice

admin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:33:30 +0000

I used to think it was difficult to find suppliers of chunky jewellery and here I am up to part 5 with lots more still to look at. Today I’m looking at some sites which carry the work of many designers, so many you’ll be spoiled for choice. Take for instance Find Jewellery which stocks this beautiful bangle by Hazel Atkinson. Not surprisingly the chunky aluminium bangle’s called Seaside and I can vouch that the colours are as rich as they look in the photo as I saw Hazel Atkinson’s jewellery at the jewellery fair IJL last autumn. You won’t always get exactly the same design as each piece is handmade. The beauty of aluminium is it’s lightweight and the bangle costs £35.74

I’m not exaggerating when I say you’ll be spoiled for choice at Find Jewellery

They stock standard favourites of chunky jewellery such as Jackie Brazil – this bracelet is a more unusual example of the range. I’ve written about Jackie Brazil jewellery so many times now I’m at risk of boring even myself about it, and I love it.

There’s also Fiorelli, with their distinctive beads; Kazuri, whose beads are made in Africa; and moving slightly away from chunky but very beautiful – the Rennie Mackintosh and Murano Glass ranges. Interestingly, Find Jewellery also stocks second hand and vintage jewellery.

Phew. So, if you want even more choice we’ll move on to Argento.

This chunky agate ring is from their Nature Bijoux range. There are several versions of this ring, handmade by craftsmen in the Philippines. It’s over an inch wide, is adjustable and costs £25 with free postage.

You have to hunt a bit more for the chunky jewellery on this site, but it’s there, in the Lola Rose necklaces and rings, the Guise beads and Argento’s own ranges. Just browsing through the discount Karma range for instance I found a vintage daisy ring at only £5.

So by now you’ve trawled through two sites, your eyes are popping and you really should be thinking of getting back to some work. If you’ve still not found what you want don’t forgetAccessories Direct, the site I wrote about in the first review. If you still can’t find what you like it’s maybe time to get back to looking for peas under the mattress…..

The full list of suppliers is here – enjoy.

Incoming search terms:

Suppliers of chunky jewellery – part 4 – London boutiques

admin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:03:22 +0000

This beautiful bracelet is from Question-Air, one of the two London boutiques featured in this review of suppliers. This shows the bracelet in closer detail: cord threaded through silver nuggets – simple but highly effective.

There’s also a version in which black cord is threaded through silver tubes.

The bracelets are from Question-Air, whose philosophy is to deliver designer products to fashion conscious customers. Question-Air now has five boutiques in London, and their locations read like a directory of places “to be”: Barnes, Clapham, Dulwich, Hampstead and Wimbledon.

The bracelet isn’t cheap at £209, but it’s an item you could continue to wear for years, stylish rather than passingly fashionable.

Wolf & Badger has just one boutique, this time in Notting Hill, showcasing independent fashion and design, in this case the caviar ring by Jacqueline Clarke.

We’ve looked at the blue version of this before: the orange one is slightly smaller but still has the distinctive, caviar shaped glass balls. Wouldn’t this look wonderful with a simple dark outfit, as a contrasting burst of vibrant colour?Especially when teamed with the matching earrings.

Again, it’s not cheap, at £250. With both sites I’ve picked out the upper-end items in terms of price because they’re unusual, distinctive, chunky designs but you’ll find jewellery starting from £25.

If these boutiques aren’t to your taste, you’ll find the full list of suppliers here.

Incoming search terms:

Suppliers of chunky jewellery part 3 – handmade chunky jewellery

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:03:26 +0000

In today’s review of chunky jewellery suppliers I’m looking at where you can get handmade chunky jewellery, such as this beautiful rosewood bangle from notonthehighstreet.com

Both the rosewood bangle and this bracelet of rosewood beads are handmade in Vietnam and sold by Sarah Petherick in Somerset, who specialises in both jewellery and homewares made from natural materials.

For me they typify notonthehighstreet.com. They’re beautifully and caringly made and reasonably priced – £19.70 for the bangle and £15.50 for the bracelet, with just £1.45 postage. The disappointment I’ve felt in the past is that I’ve never found anything on the site that’s huge, that’s made me go Wow, that is absolutely amazing…..but that’s the way the human mind works, always wanting something to be different to what it is, and that way misery lies. It’s not every day you might want to wear something huge, some days chunky-ish is just right and at least at notonthehighstreet.com you have the satisfaction of knowing you’re supporting a craftsperson somewhere.

I’ve also had a look round some other sites for handmade jewellery. This is fun – it’s a safety pin necklace made from recycled brass chain, safety pins and colourful glass beads. It’s from Made UK at Accessories Direct If you’ve not come across Made UK – their jewellery is designed by prominent designers and then created in disadvantaged communities in East Africa, based on the ethos of “trade not aid”.

The necklace is reduced at the moment, from £34.99 to £23.44 so it won’t qualify for the 20% discount being offered until Valentines Day at Accessories Direct.

The real beauty of the necklace is you need never worry about your trousers or skirt button popping off again as you’ll always have a safety pin to hand!

The full list of chunky jewellery suppliers can be found here.

Incoming search terms:

Suppliers of chunky jewellery part 2

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:46:04 +0000

In part 2 of this review of chunky jewellery suppliers I’m sharing with you two sites that always have something unusual – Free People in the States (that’s where " target="_blank">these brass earrings are from) and AfterShock in the UK.

Here’s a better view of the earrings that shows just how big and chunky they are – 3″ in length and 2 1/4″ across the top. They’re made of brass and are described as upside down spear earrings.

I picked them out because surprisingly I don’t come across many really chunky earrings, just long ones which aren’t quite the same if you want something that makes a real statement.

So much of the jewellery at Free People does just that – makes a statement. There’s something of what in the UK we used to call the “wild” West about their clothes and accessories – lots of fringes and leather – it makes for a very distinctive style.

The earrings cost £144 which is the original price of this necklace which I found when I was browsing the Sales section. It’s now down to £44!

The loose-form, slightly-rough-round-the-edges typifies for me what’s best about Free People. The discs are plated in silver or bronze and there’s a toggle fastening. It’s made by Sibilia Maria Fernanda who apparently is noted for her copper jewellery.

Free People are doing their best to expand into the UK market – they give the prices in sterling and are geared to ship to here, but sadly they don’t have any control over Customs and Excise so as I’ve said before, you have to be aware that you may be charged custom duty when ordering from the States. Still, it’s worth looking at the site, if only to drool over the bags! And if you’re sensitive about leather they have a range of clothes in vegan leather too.

Moving on to Aftershock……

This beautiful bead necklace is new there for spring. Called Willow it’s made of hundreds of beads and faux gems in brown, white and silver. There’s a version called Tanya in pink, purples and oranges but I think I’ve shown enough pink jewellery for a while. Both necklaces cost £85

Beads figure a lot at Aftershock this season. This stunning bracelet has strands of them woven together into a braided effect. The colours are perfect if you’re a spring person, wearing sweet pea shades, but it could look good with black as well.

It costs £70. The good news is that between now and Valentines Day you can save 10% on all Aftershock jewellery by using the code VDAY10 Every little helps as they say.

As you can see from these two items, Aftershock is totally different in its designs to Free People. Its designs are classier, less individual or exuberant, but what they both share is a commitment to produce exciting, unusual designs that you won’t find on other sites.

I’m gradually working through the list of suppliers but if you can’t wait for that you’ll find the full list here.

Incoming search terms:

p.s. Valentines Day offer at Accessories Direct

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:08:39 +0000

As a p.s. to yesterday’s post about chunky jewellery suppliers I’ve just heard that Accessories Direct are offering this multi-bangle, and all their other jewellery, at a 20% discount for Valentine’s Day.

I’ve read several articles the last few days about good presents for Valentines Day. They all mention jewellery: one I read yesterday said it didn’t have to be anything big or chunky, a “little pendant would do”. As a lover and wearer of chunky jewellery I’m not so sure. Personally I’d rather have a huge, chunky bangle from a charity shop than a little anything, however expensive.

So, readers, if you’re in the position that a loved one might be tempted to buy you something small and delicate, now’s the time to act. To drop BIG hints, or simply tell him (or her) that Accessories Direct is offering a whopping discount off their jewellery prices. For 20% off full priced items only. Use code: SPRING

Happy hint dropping……

Suppliers of chunky jewellery

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:08:46 +0000

Kicking off this review of chunky jewellerery suppliers is one of my current favourites – Accessories Direct and these square bangles from the Kate Benjamin range.

I like Accessories Direct because they carry a wide range of unusual brands, including The Branch (whose chunky wooden bangles I’ve written about before), Made UK with Fairtrade jewellery from Kenya, and Leju who make wonderful designs from richly coloured vegetable ivory.

The jewellery I’ve picked out is from the Kate Benjamin range which seems absurdly cheap for something so distinctive. The square enamel bangles come in cream, white, navy and red (are we going to see a lot of patriotic colours this Jubilee year?) and cost just £15 each.

The chunky necklace is called “golden taupe multi-beaded”. (How DO you pronounce taupe by the way – to rhyme with rope or as if it’s written torp??) However you say it, it costs £32 and it also comes in grey, much easier to pronounce.

Finally, also from the Kate Benjamin range is this gold and silver tone multi-bangle. It’s such a simple solution to the problem of bangles sliding away up your sleeve – simply fasten them all together! The overall length is 9 cms and the multi-bangle costs £35.

Delivery is free on orders over £30.

I’ve a huge long list of chunky jewellery suppliers to get through but I hope to tell you more about them all in the coming weeks.

Incoming search terms:

Final trawl through the chunky jewellery sales

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:42:52 +0000

Prices are falling even more as new stock arrives and the sales come to an end. This bangle is now just £5 at Great Plains. and would look great worn with their simple, elegant clothes.

Apparently this is the week of the year when we feel most miserable – Christmas is over, days are still short, credit card bills have come in. If you believe this kind of thing then you might want to look round the sales to cheer yourself up. If you don’t believe this kind of thing and you know happiness has nothing to do with the factors I first mentioned you might want to look round the sales because it’s a fun thing to do.

So, what else have I found?

If this isn’t your first visit to the site you’ll know how much I like Accessories Direct and the chunky jewellery from Kate Benjamin. I didn’t come acroos many earrings in the sales you’d call chunky, but these are definitely long, very long, judging by the picture of similar ones from Louis Vuitton.

Personally, I don’t do pink, I only do autumn colours, so I have to resist the temptation to always show jewellery in rust, gold, purple or orange, and remember there are women who really suit sweet pea or vibrant colours, so here are the ear rings in fuchsia pink. For anyone else who doesn’t do pink, you’ll be relieved to know they also come in turquoise, coral (the ones I’d go for) and black.

They’re £9.19 in the sale, which seems an odd figure to come up, but then so was the original price of £15.32. (You can imagine the finance department at Accessories Direct calculating the price down to the exact pence…..)

Moving on, I first noticed these bangles a few months ago, at Question-Air, the company that sources unusual and cutting edge clothes and accessories for its London shops and online site.

They’re from Antik Batik, a company set up 20 years ago by an Italian (Gabriella Cortesa) living in Paris and travelling to the Far East for inspiration, so the resulting clothes and accessories are a mix of styles and prints, always very feminine. The full name for these is Antik Batik Saba Stack Bracelets, so be grateful telephone ordering is a thing of the past.

They also come in shades of red and purple and are reduced from £59 to £36. (A more relaxed finance department?)

To take this full circle, back to where I started, wouldn’t they look wonderful with clothes from the sale at Great Plains.

As always, remember there are other suppliers of chunky jewellery, and there’s a long list of them here.