The Branch chunky wooden cuff
Fabulous cuff in rosewood by The Branch at Accessories Direct.
IJL, the International Jewellery fair earlier this year was huge: from the hundreds of stands I found about six with chunky jewellery. Of those, an outstanding one was The Branch – wooden but lightweight jewellery in bold designs.
The cuff featured has green adventurine set into gold-plated silver. The alternatives, shown here, are black onyx or orange carmelian.
The Branch jewellery is made in Indonesia, using traditional methods, and without adding anything to the wood other than beeswax. Because the pieces are predominantly hand-crafted they have the feel of being one-off items – simple and so effective.
I’ve wondered before if it adds to the jewellery to know the background of its designer. Similarly I wonder if it helps to know who else owns this jewellery, ( for The Branch the list includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyonce and Claudia Schiffer if you like that kind of information). In the case of chunky jewellery I tend to think its real lovers are women who’ve developed their own style as opposed to just following trends or fashion icons. Still, that’s just a tiny grump, it doesn’t take away from the beauty of both this cuff and other The Branch jewellery at Accessories Direct. (Have a look for the rosewood ring with black onyx, gorgeous.)
If you prefer to find your own jewellery, there’s a full list of suppliers here.
