BEHIND THE DESIGN:

The V&A and Oliver Bonas Jewellery Collaboration

Our newest jewellery range was created in collaboration with the V&A, a family of museums dedicated to the power of creativity. As Oliver Bonas has always been design-led, coming together with the V&A is something we are very excited about.

To celebrate the launch of the range, we spoke with Amelia Calver, Research and Development Manager for the V&A, to find out more about Anna Maria Garthwaite, the 18th century fabric designer whose pattern designs inspired the range. We also caught up with the OB Jewellery Team’s Senior Buyer Rebecca Jones and Senior Jewellery Designer Deborah Allen to explore the design process behind the jewellery pieces.

A pioneering female designer

Choosing a design to inspire the new range was the first stage. ‘The V&A's archives are huge, so we had lots of inspiration to choose from and it was just really exciting to be working with such a revered name,’ says Rebecca.

The botanical-inspired pieces we finally settled on were adapted from the silk fabric designs created by Anna Maria Garthwaite in the 1700s. A pioneering female designer in a male-dominated industry, she was one of the major designers of woven silk for London’s thriving Spitalfields silk industry in the mid-18th century. Her delicate drawing and naturalistic floral sprig patterns brought her enduring fame.

‘All known designs by Anna Maria Garthwaite are in the V&A’s collection,’ says the V&A’s Amelia Calver. ‘There are over 1,000 designs altogether dating from 1726–56. Her decision to pursue a career in silk design in spite of her lack of formal education and expertise was incredible for the time.’

‘The V&A's archives are
huge, so we had lots of
inspiration to choose from
and it was just really
exciting to be working
with such a revered name.’

– SENIOR BUYER, REBECCA JONES

Celebrating nature

Garthwaite’s interest in natural form was most evident during the dominant fashion for botanical realism in the 1740s. She believed that ‘ornaments, stalks, flowers and leaves are the principal objects in designing of weaving patterns’.

‘The designs are beautiful,’ says Deborah, ‘and when we realised they were created by a woman, this really drew us in. Most items in the V&A archive, bar the 20th century onwards, are not credited to women.’

‘Anna Maria Garthwaite lived in a time of exploration and industrialisation, when it was important to feel a connection to nature,’ explains Deborah. ‘We felt this re-connection to nature was very relevant to our current times and the OB brand. As the colour palettes Garthwaite used are very evocative of the golden “autumnal” colours in nature, we honoured this by launching the range in September.’

The design process

The range includes 10 uniquely crafted pieces with a vintage gold finish, including hammered hoops and embellished drop earrings, two necklace designs, a brooch and a statement bangle, each inspired by and adapted from the botanical designs Garthwaite used for her silk fabrics. The curved outlines of the petals, graceful leaf shapes and slender, elegant stamens protruding from the flower centres instantly caught our jewellery designer Deborah’s eye. 'We could see straight away how the 2D forms could be translated into 3D jewellery,’ says Rebecca.

Initial sketches were made to capture the graceful curves of the blossom motifs and the sweeping strokes of the stems. A copy of the drawings was then used to create basic prototypes from paper, which were used to design the molds to make the jewellery pieces. Each piece was finished off individually, adding detail by hand such as the pink enamel flowers and glass beads.

From textile print to metal casting

Standout styles

‘Several of the pieces have moving parts. For the textured tassel earrings, the tassels swing delicately below the main flower shape. We loved the idea of creating movement where we could within the range so that the pieces catch the light, and these are real showstoppers,’ says Deborah.

‘The statement cuff bangle is a particular favourite of mine,’ says Rebecca. ‘It has a hinged clasp and two standout blossoms. It’s a bold, eye-catching piece that would look stunning worn both day and night. But I often like to mix high and low, and it can easily be worn to elevate an everyday look.’