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JEWELLERY TALES...WITH
KELLY EASTWOOD
This month we've teamed up with fashion blogger and conservationist, Kelly Eastwood. In celebration of the new Hidden Reef collection, Kelly co-hosted our Inspirational Women's Lunch aboard The Prince Regent and helped to raise awareness of the ocean preservation initiatives of No More Plastic, a foundation that aligns with her own values. On a day out in sunny Whitstable, Kelly talks us through her most treasured pieces of jewellery and reveals the ethics behind her own brand and how we can all do our bit to help save the environment.
What tips do you have when it comes to styling jewellery?
Don’t save your best for ‘Sunday…’ There’s nothing more chic than wearing diamonds on a Tuesday with a sweatshirt, jeans and a top-knot.

Which piece of jewellery do you never take off?
I actually take all my jewellery off every night, but my most valued piece would be a Victorian heart locket given to me after my best friend passed away which is filled with flowers she picked and pressed as a child, my Grandmother’s aquamarine cocktail ring she used to wear in the 1920/30’s in Kenya, and the vintage Cartier watch that my parents gave me on my 30th birthday to match my mother’s.

What is your favourite Annoushka design?
I don’t have pierced ears, which is probably why I tend to wear so many hairclips instead, but I really enjoyed wearing the Dusty Diamonds 18ct Rose Gold Diamond Ear Cuff. I also really love the Love Diamonds 18ct Gold Diamond Starfish Bracelet and Hidden Reef 18ct Gold Sapphire Ring which I like to wear on my pinky finger.

If you were a charm what would you be?
A single baroque pearl.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
‘What is meant for you will not pass you by…’

Who is your role model?
Jane Goodall (“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make...”), Audrey Hepburn (‘Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm, as you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others…”) and more recently, Greta Thunburg (“We can't save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change - and it has to start today…”).

What’s your favourite animal?​
Aside from my own cats (Harry and Lloyd) and dog (a ridgeback, Atlas), I would say giraffe. Giraffe across Africa are fighting a ‘silent extinction,’ being overshadowed in the press by other endangered animals. There are approx 500,000 wild elephant left in Africa for instance, whilst there are only 90,000 giraffe! The wild giraffe living around Giraffe Manor, near where I grew up outside Nairobi, are part of a vital breeding programme for Rothschild Giraffe, one of the most endangered sub-species of giraffe - and my particular favourite.
What made you decide to focus on eco initiatives and to educate your followers?
We are amidst the largest period of species extinction in the last 60 million years... In the last 50 years alone, the populations of all mammals, birds, reptiles and fish have fallen by an average of 60%. Talking about these statistics, spreading vital awareness, and raising funds, for me, is far too important to ignore, and I’m luckily in the position where I can make some noise, and speak for those who can’t. There is no Planet B.

How do your values align with those of No More Plastic?
Hugely, which is also why I was so drawn to working on the launch of the Hidden Reef collection. Currently, we are dumping more than 8 million tons of plastic into our oceans each year (there will be more plastic in the seas by weight than fish by 2050), and almost 80% of the plastic used each year end up in landfills, and not recycled like most people assume. Meanwhile virgin plastic production continues apace and is set to to skyrocket by 40% over the next 10 years. Bottles, bags, coffee cups and straws are the most frequently used and discarded of all the single use plastics, and despite only being used for an average of 12 minutes each, they stay on our planet for around 450 years. Ultimately, our purchasing patterns dictate what products are made, and what your favourite cafes, bars, restaurants and supermarkets provide... If you are looking for a great, and achievable, resolution this year, reducing your single use plastic consumption should be it!

What’s the most impactful thing someone can do to help the environment?
Change your diet. Food production is the leading cause of deforestation with forests being cleared to rear livestock (for meat and dairy) and to grow crops to feed the increasing livestock populations. Less demand = less deforestation.