Necklaces made as commissions don’t have to be based on family heirlooms, sentimental pieces or treasures. They certainly don’t have to have any monetary value and this commission was certainly one of those!
Colleen came to me with a skull she had recently bought in a local charity shop for a few pounds. Born in the 1960’s and moving to London in the very early 80’s she describes herself as an ‘old punk’. Hours spent on the King’s Road going to shops such as Worlds End and SEX cemented her obsession with fashion. She wanted this necklace to echo back to those days and I quickly knew that it needed to reflect her absolute love of Vivienne Westwood and Butler & Wilson.
Colleen also had a very specific event for me to design for which included the colourways pink and red to go with an evening dress. She also wanted the necklace to be very dramatic and sparkly. We agreed a choker would deliver elegance, 2 strands giving more balance than one. Armed with the brief I tracked down a selection of beads taking care to consider not only the right colours but also the right size of bead. A mock-up was shown to Colleen to be absolutely certain. Once we had agreed on this, the necklace was made and Colleen was invited to a fitting and adjustment. The finished product was completed in the timescale needed for this special event and I think you will agree from the photographs it was a show stopper.