NOTES FROM ANNOUSHKA

LOVE COLOUR

I have often wondered what it is about designing precious jewellery that I love - and it always comes back to colour. It is in the mesmerising palette of precious and semi-precious stones that I find an endless source of inspiration. These gems, formed deep within the earth over thousands of years, withstand the trials humanity consistently imposes on our planet.

I love colour - colour breathes life into the mundane. It possesses an enchanting power to infuse vitality into every aspect of life, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. From the countless blues of our oceans to the blazing fiery orange skies of a breathtaking sunset, the world is bathed in colour, which has such a dramatic effect on our mood, attitude, and well-being.

Wherever possible I try and make our travel plans work around where I know I might find irresistible stones - a trip to Ethiopia to find gleaming opals which remind me of the Northern Lights. A wonderful trip to the Philippines allowed me to understand more about golden pearls and how they are farmed, leading me to design my very first pearl collection - “Golden Pearls.”

Remembering some of the mad trips I made with my mother to the Far East, I am struck by countless instances where colour becomes a way to express cultural identity and spiritual significance. The Holi Festival in India signifies the arrival of Spring and the triumph of good over evil. It is where people come together armed with an array of coloured powders and water and where strangers drench each other in an explosion of vibrant colours! More recently on a trip to Mexico City last spring you cannot get away from the kaleidoscope of colours - whether in Luis Barragan’s houses, the markets, the traditional dress or at its most simple the food. Even the Day of Dead, a tribute to dead ancestors, is characterised by a riot of colour and elaborate altars full of “ofrendas” made of marigold flowers, painted skulls and so much more.